:^ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Q-IKT    OF 


Mrs.  SARAH  P.  WALS WORTH. 

Received  October,  1894. 
Accessions  No.  S~L<§  /*7      Class  No. 


,. 


m  m 


m 


THE  GOSPEL  INVITATION 


SEKMOXS 


BELATED   TO' 


THE  BOSTON  REVIVAL  OF  1877. 


BOSTON: 
LOCKWOOD,  BKOOKS,  AND  COMPANY. 

187T. 


COPYRIGHT 

BY 
LOCKWOOD,    BROOKS    &    CO. 

1877. 


Printed  by  Rockwell  &  Churchill. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  volume  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  revival  now  in  progress 
in  this  city  and  surrounding  region,  and  still  a  rising  tide.  It 
has  been  the  desire  and  endeavor  of  the  editor  to  make  it  an 
exponent  of  the  pervading  spirit  of  that  work,  and  of  the  great 
moving  truths  by  which  it  has  been. promoted.  With  this  in- 
tent, eminent  pastors  of  different  denominations  in  the  city  were 
invited  to  contribute  to  its  pages  sermons  preached  in  the  regu- 
lar ministrations  of  the  pulpit  during  this  most  interesting  time, 
and  aimed  at  the  consciences  and  hearts  of  men,  to  bring  them 
to  Christ.  Contributions  of  a  similar  character  were  solicited 
from  several  others,  particularly  from  well-known  and  widely- 
honored  professors  in  the  different  universities  and  theological 
institutions  of  the  city  and  vicinity.  It  was  believed  that,  not 
only  as  expositions  of  truth,  but  as  showing  how  the  gospel  is 
preached  in  these  centres  of  intellectual  life,  these  would  greatly 
add  to  the  present  interest  and  permanent  value  of  the  book. 

It  should  be  said  that  none  of  these  discourses  were  at  first 
prepared  with  any  thought  of  their  appearance  on  the  printed 
page.  Nor  have  they  been  selected  as  specimens  of  fine  writing, 
or  well-rounded  discussions.  They  are  not  offered  to  the  public 
as  exhibitions  of  either  the  intellectual  power  or  the  rhetorical 
skill  of  their  authors.  But,  as  earnest  and  vigorous  presentations 
of  truths  which  God  now  as  at  other  times  is  pleased  to  own  for 
the  conversion  of  men  to  himself,  and  as  illustrating  the  extent 
to  which  the  present  revival  spirit  pervades  pulpits  of  all  ecclesi- 


Preface. 


astical  names  and  relations,  we  anticipate  for  them  a  wide  and 
warm  welcome.  Much  has  been  said  of  "  Boston  preaching " 
and  "  Boston  theology."  These  phrases  would  indicate  that  here- 
abouts the  old  faith  has  given  place  to  a  new,  and  that  the 
sublime  truths  held  and  preached  by  the  fathers  have  been  sup- 
planted by  another  gospel.  The  following  pages  can  hardly  fail 
to  do  something  to  correct  such  an  impression  if  it  anywhere 
exists. 

It  will  interest  the  reader  to  know  that  Dr.  Peabody's  is  one  of 
his  ordinary  Sabbath  morning  discourses  to  the  students  of  Har- 
vard College  ;  that  that  by  Dean  Gray  was  addressed  to  his  usual 
congregation,  largely  composed  of  young  men  from  the  same 
institution,  and  of  students  of  the  Episcopal  Theological  School; 
that  Professor  Caldwell's  is  contributed  from  an  ample  store  of 
effective  revival  discourses  ;  and  that  President  Warren's  was  first 
preached  at  a  Massachusetts  camp-meeting.  Both  the  Sermon 
and  the  Monday  Lecture,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Cook,  are  printed  from 
stenographer's  reports,  revised  by  himself,  —  the  former,  preached 
at  the  Tabernacle,  being  hardly  more  than  an  excellent  outline ; 
while  the  latter,  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  valuable  of  his 
winter's  course,  has  been  considerably  enlarged  for  its  present 
use. 

We  congratulate  ourselves  and  our  readers  on  the  addition,  to 
all  the  other  good  things  to  be  found  in  these  pages,  of  an  occa- 
sional and  memorable  discourse  by  Professor  Park.  As  revised 
by  himself  for  this  volume  it  cannot  fail  to  attract  and  richly 
repay  many  readers. 

H.  M.  GROUT. 

APKIL,  1877. 


CONTENTS. 


I.  Page 

THE  CHRISTIAN  BELIEVER'S  BURDEN,  9 

By  EDMUND  K.  ALDEN,  D.  D.,  Boston. 
II. 

THE  OLD  FAITH  AND  THE  NEW,  29 

By  GEOEGE  C.  LOEIMEE,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  Union  Temple  Baptist 
Church,  Boston. 

III. 

LEARN  OF  ME,  59 

By  GEOEGE  ZABEISKIE  GEAY,  D.  D.,  Dean  of  the  Episcopal  Theologi- 
cal School  of  Massachusetts,  Cambridge. 

IV. 

THE  SEPARATION  OF  THE  SOUL  FROM  GOD,        71 

By  W.  F.  M ALLALIEU,  D.  D. ,  Pastor  of  Second  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  Boston. 

V. 
THE  DECAY  OF  WILL,  88 

By  REV.  S.  E.  HEEEICK,  Pastor  of  Mount  Vernon  Congregational 
Church,  Boston. 

VI. 

COMING  TO  ONE'S  SELF,  101 

By  ANDBEW  P.  PE ABODY,  D.  D. ,  Plummer  Professor,  and  Preacher, 
at  Harvard  University,  Cambridge. 

VII. 

THE  CRY  FOR  A  CLEANSED  HEART,  114 

By  REV.  ALBEET  E.  DUNNING,  Pastor  of  Highland  Congregational 
Church,  Boston. 

VIII. 

GOD'S  CONTROVERSY  WITH  His  PEOPLE,         126 

By  ALEXANDEE  H.  VINTON,  D.  D.,  Rector   of   Emanuel  Church, 

Boston. 


Contents. 


IX.  Page 

GOD  A  CONSUMING  FIRE,  139 

By  REV.  A.  J.  GORDON,  Pastor  of  Clarendon  Street  Baptist  Church, 

Boston. 

X. 

GOD  DISMISSED,  153 

By  SAMUEL  L.  CALDWELL,  D.  D.,  Professor  in  Newton  Theological 
Institution,  Newton  Centre. 

XI. 

JESUS  OF  NAZARETH  PASSETH  BY,  166 

By  REV.  ALEXANDER  MCKENZIE,  Pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Cam- 
bridge. 

XII. 

NOTHING  TO  Do  WITH  CHRIST,  179 

By  REV.  WILLIAM  WILBEKFORCE  NEWTON,  Rector  of  St.   Paul's 
Church,  Boston. 

XIII. 
THE  DOOR  OPENED  AND  CHRIST  WITHIN,        197 

By  REV.  HENRY  M.  GROUT,  Pastor  of  Congregational  Church,  Concord. 

XIV. 

FAITH  THE  SOURCE  OF  FAITHFULNESS,          210 

By  REV.  JOSEPH  COOK,  Boston. 

XV. 

OUR  Two  HARVESTS,  229 

By  RUFUS  ELLIS,  D.D.,   Minister  of  the  First  Church  of   Christ, 

Boston. 

XVI. 

THE  GOSPEL  INVITATION,  238 

By  W.  F.  WARREN,  D.  D.,  President  of  Boston  University. 


XVII. 

THE  PERMANENCE  OF  MORAL  CHARACTER,      263 

By  REV.  JOSEPH  COOK,  Boston. 


XVIII. 

THE  PROMINENCE  OF  THE  ATONEMENT,          299 

By  EDWARDS  A.  PARK,  D.  D.,  Professor  in  Andover  Theological 
Seminary,  Andover. 


THE  GOSPEL  INVITATION. 


.SERMONS. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  BELIEVER'S  BURDEN, 


BY  EDMUND  K.    ALDEN,   D.  D. 


"I  say  the  truth  in  Christ,  I  lie  not,  my  conscience  also  bearing  me 
witness  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  I  have  great  heaviness  and  continual  sor- 
row in  my  heart.  For  I  could  wish  that  myself  were  accursed  from  Christ, 
for  my  brethren,  my  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh." — Romans  ix.  1-3. 


THE  self-sacrificing  spirit  of  Christian  love  can  em- 
ploy no  expression  which  is  extravagant  in  trying  to 
give  utterance  to  the  longings  felt  for  the  salvation 
of  others.  It  exclaims,  My  soul  is  in  heaviness ;  I  am 
oppressed  with  anguish ;  let  anything  dreadful  happen 
to  myself ;  let  me  die  a  hundred  deaths  ;  let  me  know 
even  the  midnight  darkness  of  a  castaway  — "  ac- 
cursed from  Christ/'  if  such  a  thing  could  be,  might  I 
but  deliver  you  from  your  impending  doom.  The 
very  impossibility  of  the  supposition  is  what  gives  it 
its  rhetorical  power. 

Paul  had  just  exclaimed,  "I  am  persuaded  that 
neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities, 
nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come, 
nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall 
be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which 
A*  9 


10  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  Kejoicing  in  this  living 
inner  fellowship  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son,  it  is 
with  all  calmness  and  sobriety  that  he  adds,  "  I  say 
the  truth  in  Christ ; "  it  is  the  love  of  Christ  in  my 
soul  which  leads  me  thus  to  express  myself.  "I  lie 
not,  my  conscience  also  bearing  me  witness  in  the 
Holy  Ghost."  I  know  whereof  I  affirm,  —  it  is  that 
Spirit  who  "  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings 
which  cannot  be  uttered,"  who  beareth  me  witness. 
"  I  have  great  heaviness  and  continual  sorrow  in  my 
heart"  in  your  behalf. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Christian  ex- 
perience of  a  joy  which  is  "unspeakable,"  and  the 
Christian  experience  of  a  sorrow  whose  inward  groan- 
ings  "  cannot  be  uttered,"  are  both  from  the  same 
source,  the  fruit  of  the  same  Spirit;  so  that  if  one  is 
known,  both  may  be  known,  though  not  always  in  the 
same  degree,  nor  always  consciously  at  the  same  hour. 

In  speaking,  therefore,  of  the  burden  which  some- 
times weighs  heavily  upon  Christian  hearts,  let  it  not 
be  supposed  that  the  blessedness  of  the  Christian's 
hope  is  thereby  excluded,  for  the  burden  and  the 
blessedness  go  together.  But  there  are  times  when 

the  burden  is  especially  prominent.     Such  a  time  we 

« 

are  now  passing  through. 

As  our  Lord's  mental  anguish  in  behalf  of  guilty 
men  is  termed  "the  travail  of  his  soul,"  so  a  similar 
anguish  felt  by  his  people  is  represented  by  the  same 


The  Christian  Believer  s  Burden.  11 

word.  Thus  Paul  addresses  the  Galatians  :  "  My  little 
children,  for  whom  I  travail  in  birth  again,  until 
Christ  be  formed  in  you."  The  Apostle  knew  in  some 
measure  what  it  was  to  participate  in  that  painful  dis- 
tress which  the  Lord  Jesus  felt  in  his  agonizing  desires 
for  the  salvation  of  men.  The  reason  was  that  the 
Spirit  of  Christ  in  some  measure  dwelt  within  him,  — 
the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  continuing  and  completing  the 
work  of  Christ  on  earth,  through  the  instrumentality 
of  Christian  believers  in  whom  he  abides  and  through 
whom  he  works. 

This  burden  of  anxiety  which  sometimes  presses 
heavily  upon  Christian  hearts,  in  behalf  of  their  fellow- 
men  who  are  still  in  sin,  is  "  because  the  love  of  God 
is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
is  given  unto  us,"  —  that  love  of  the  Father  which 
gave  his  only-begotten  Son  that  he  might  die  for 
man ;  that  love  of  the  Son  which  led  him  to  surrender 
himself  to  an  ignominious  and  sacrificial  death;  and 
that  love  of  the  Spirit  which  pleads  and  strives  with 
men ;  which  is  grieved  by  their  unbelief,  and  which 
in  many  ways  cries,  "  To-day,  after  so  long  a  time,  if 
ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts."  How 
little  does  any  affectionate  Christian  heart,  weighed 
down  with  whatever  burden  of  anxiety  for  others, 
know  of  the  intensity  and  depth  of  that  yearning, 
divine  love  which,  taking  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
the  sinner,  with  long-suff ering-pratience,  waiting  to  be 


12  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

gracious,  continues  to  plead,  "  Turn  ye,  turn  ye ;  why 
will  ye  die  ?  " 

As  it  is  an  evidence  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  within 
the  soul,  when  the  soul  feels  a  pressure  of  tender 
anxiety  for  perishing  men,  for  the  same  reason  the 
soul  is  sustained  under  the  pressure.  The  Holy  Spirit 
operates  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  mental 
constitution,  and  does  no  violence  to  the  human  mind. 
One  of  his  significant  names  is  "the  Spirit  of  Truth;" 
and  one  of  his  offices  is  to  enlighten  the  mind  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  When,  therefore,  he  is  mani- 
festing his  presence  through  an  unusual  anxiety  expe- 
rienced by  a  Christian  heart  in  behalf  of  men  who 
are  still  in  sin,  we  may  be  sure  there  is  reason  for 
this  anxiety.  It  is  produced  by  a  clear  discernment 
of  truths  —  truths,  when  believed,  of  most  impressive 
significance. 

One  of  these  truths  is  the  intrinsic  worth  associated 
with  the  imminent  danger  of  our  fellow-men.  Some- 
times we  look  upon  people  in  the  mass,  a  crowd  of 
human  beings  jostling  against  each  other  for  a  little 
while  along  life's  thoroughfare,  and  then  passing 
away.  But  now  our  eyes  are  opened,  and  in  every 
man  we  look  upon  we  see  an  immortal  spirit,  gifted 
with  the  capacities  and  opportunities,  subject  also  to 
the  exposures,  of  such  a  spirit.  A  violator  of  the  law 
of  God,  he  is  amenable  to  the  just  penalty  of  that  law/ 
Continuing  an  unbeliever  in  Christ,  he  abides  under 


The  Christian  Believer's  Burden.  13 

condemnation.  As  swiftly  as  the  precious  days,  weeks, 
and  years  are  flying  by,  so  swiftly  are  they  bearing 
him  on  to  death  and  the  judgment  after  death.  He  is 
thoughtlessly  wasting  his  only  probation.  Whatever 
else  he  may  be,  remaining  away  from  Christ,  he  is  un- 
prepared both  to  live  and  to  die.  So  living  he  is 
adding  sin  to  sin,  treasuring  up  "wrath  against  the 
day  of  wrath."  So  dying,  the  day  of  grace  has  ended, 
and  his  soul  must  forever  perish. 

Surrender  to  the  seriousness  of  this  thought.  Apply 
it  to  some  one  individual.  Consider  what  it  means  for 
this  man  to  lose  his  soul;  hold  your  mind  to  the 
consideration  and  bear  upon  your  heart  his  heavy 
woe.  Think  of  another  and  of  another.  Can  you  add 
the  thought  that  some  of  them  are  your  own  friends, 
for  whose  safety  you  would  be  ready  to  sacrifice  your 
life  ?  Can  you  add  the  thought  that  entire  families 
are  thus  exposed?  That  there  are  several  hundred 
in  a  Christian  congregation  who  are  thus  exposed? 
That  you  live  in  a  world  of  beings  in  the  same  peril  ? 
That  you  are  mingling  with  them  all  the  time  in 
society  and  in  business  ?  That  some  of  them  you  are 
influencing  every  day  by  example  and  conversation  ? 

Let  any  one  carry  upon  a  sympathizing,  affectionate 
heart  such  a  weight  as  this,  and  will  there  not  be 
some  experience  of  heavy  sorrow?  Do  you  say,  "I 
cannot  bear  it,  and  I  will  dismiss  the  thought  ?"  But 
you  have  not  thus  lifted  the  woe  which  rests  upon 


14  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

your  fellow-men.  The  fact  still  abides  true  that  they 
are  going  down  to  death.  To  disregard  the  fact  is  to 
give  them  up  to  perish  without  an  effort  for  their 
salvation.  That  surely  is  not  the  spirit  of  him  who 
came  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.  If,  therefore,  the 
heart  of  Christ  is  in  us,  we  shall  not  only  feel  the 
burden  of  human  woe,  we  shall  long  intensely  to  re- 
lieve it. 

Accordingly,  a  second  thought  is  impressed  upon 
the  Christian  heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  —  the  desira- 
bleness that  these  our  fellow -men  should  be  saved, 
associated  with  the  fact  that  abundant  provision  is 
made  for  their  salvation.  We  picture  the  other  side 
in  the  possible  history  of  a  soul ;  what  that  soul  may 
become,  redeemed  from  the  guilt  and  pollution  of  sin, 
freed  from  the  condemnation  of  the  unbeliever,  filled 
with  the  blessedness  of  abiding  fellowship  with  God, 
living  a  life  consecrated  to  the  service  of  Christ, 
triumphing  over  death,  and  entering  into  a  glorious 
immortality  —  the  overhanging  woe  exchanged  for- 
ever for  superabounding  grace.  We  think  of  one  soul 
thus  saved ;  of  another,  and  another ;  of  scores,  of  hun- 
dreds ;  of  families,  of  congregations,  of  the  vast  multi- 
tudes around  us,  whose  condition  weighs  upon  us 
with  anxiety.  The  immediate  question  now  becomes, 
What  can  I  do  to  save  them  ?  Here  are  abundant 
provisions  for  salvation  in  the  revelation  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ.  Here  is  the  promise,  "Whosoever  shall 


The  Christian  Believer's  Burden.  15 

call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved." 
Here  is  the  invitation,  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take 
the  water  of  life  freely."  And  now  the  pressure  of 
anxiety  takes  this  direction :  What  can  I  do  to  lead 
these  souls  to  believe  in  Christ?  How  can  I  carry 
this  good  news  to  others  ?  How  can  I  proclaim  it  to 
all  my  fellow-men  ?  Upon  whom  can  I  impress  it  as  a 
reality  ?  Whom  can  I  bring  to  this  fountain  of  ever- 
lasting life  ? 

A  third  consideration  begins  now  to  weigh  heavily 
upon  the  Christian  heart,  —  the  consciousness  of  per- 
sonal responsibility  to  the  utmost  of  the  ability  and 
the  opportunity  afforded  us  for  the  salvation  of  all  the 
souls  we  can  possibly  reach,  especially  for  those  par- 
ticularly committed  to  our  care  "by  the  providence  of 
God.  We  perceive  not  only  that  there  is  provision 
for  their  salvation,  but  that  we  are  appointed  by  the 
divine  grace  imparted  unto  us  to  be  the  instruments 
of  communicating  that  salvation.  We  perceive  that 
the  Gospel  has  been  given  to  dwellers  in  a  Christian 
land  for  the  very  purpose  of  extending  it  through  the 
world,  and  that  there  is  no  reason  why  any  generation 
of  Christian  men  should  not  in  their  own  day  diffuse 
the  word  of  life  among  all  the  men  of  that  generation 
living  on  the  earth,  except  that  they  refuse  to  recog- 
nize and  to  act  upon  that  responsibility.  That  pres- 
sure of  responsibility  has  never  been  lifted  from  any 
generation  since  Christ  left  his  parting  command,  "  Go 


16  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature."  It  never  will  be  lifted  until  this  world  is 
converted  to  Christ;  and,  as  the  Holy  Spirit  is  more 
fully  received  into  our  waiting  souls,  we  shall  feel 
this  pressure  more  and  more.  Possibly  this  is  the 
generation  which  is  to  be  bowed  down  under  that 
weight,  and  which  in  its  conscious  weakness  is  to  be 
made  strong  by  divine  strength  to  bear  it,  to  the  con- 
quest of  the  world  to  Christ.  Certainly  whatever 
people  shall  receive  an  apostolic  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  will  receive  as  its  accompanying  fruit  an 
apostolic  missionary  zeal. 

But  if  the  simple  possession  of  the  written  word 
puts  upon  us  the  responsibility  of  proclaiming  it 
throughout  the  world,  much  more  does  the  possession 
of  divine  grace  in  our  own  souls  bring  with  it  the 
responsibility  of  communicating  the  same  to  the 
utmost  of  our  ability  to  all  whom  we  can  reach,  espe- 
cially to  those  nearest  to  us,  by  ties  of  kindred  and 
affection.  We  sometimes  try  to  relieve  ourselves 
from  this  pressure,  but  not  when  our  souls  are  filled 
with  the  Spirit  of  God;  for  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God 
who  awakens  and  increases  the  affectionate  anxiety 
which  produces  the  pressure.  There  is  a  serious  sense 
in  which  we  are  accountable  not  only  for  our  own 
souls,  but  for  scores  of  other  souls ;  and  if  they  perish 
through  our  faithlessness  or  neglect,  their  blood  will 
be  required  at  our  hand.  No  parent,  no  teacher,  no 


The  Christian  Believer's  Burden.  17 

pastor,  no  individual  who  exerts  influence  upon  others, 
can  escape  this  responsibility.  We  shall  be  called  to 
meet  it  at  the  final  day.  When  the  Spirit  of  God 
takes  this  truth  and  holds  us  to  it,  it  puts  upon  every 
one  of  us  a  heavy  burden. 

Bowing  down  beneath  this  pressure,  the  people  of 
God  are  led  to  associate  with  it  another,  without  which 
they  would  be  utterly  overwhelmed,  namely,  a  sense 
of  entire  dependence  wpon  the  divine  strength  both  to 
sustain  and  to  guide,  with  the  assured  expectation  that 
the  needed  strength  and  guidance  will  be  imparted. 
The  burdens  of  anxiety  and  of  responsibility  thus 
pass  into  a  burden  of  prayer,  continuous  and  impor- 
tunate prayer,  prayer  so  laden  with  a  weight  of 
promises,  that  the  greater  the  pressure  they  produce, 
the  greater  their  ability  to  sustain.  The  same  pres- 
sure will  constrain  to  the  exercise  of  all  possible 
efforts  for  the  salvation  of  those  for  whom  we  are 
anxious ;  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  thus  yielded  to  by  the 
submissive  soul,  will  lead  on  to  more  fervent  prayers 
and  increased  efforts,  prayer  and  efforts  which  will  be 
successful.  For,  be  it  remembered,  these  heavy  anx- 
ieties resting  upon  Christian  hearts,  by  which  they 
share  with  their  Lord  in  "the  travail  of  his  soul," 
fit  them  also  to  share  at  length  in  the  "  shall  be  satis- 
fied," when  those  souls  are  born  into  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  and  become  trophies  of  redemptive  grace. 

Indeed,  it  is  a  special  divine  appointment  that  this 


18  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

should  be  the  method  by  which  the  Holy  Spirit  shall 
display  his  presence  and  power  in  the  renewal  of 
men.  When  the  people  of  God  are  in  heaviness  of 
heart,  borne  down  under  the  burden  of  their  anxiety 
for  perishing  souls,  —  a  burden  which  is  relieved  only 
by  prayer  and  diligent  effort  for  their  salvation,  then 
is  the  hour  of  Zion's  deliverance;  then  the  Spirit  of 
God  interposes,  and  these  souls  wrestled  and  labored 
for  are  saved.  Thus  has  it  been  in  the  past  history 
of  the  Church,  and  thus  will  it  continue.  Those  who 
are  to  be  the  instruments  of  communicating  the  Spirit 
of  God  to  their  fellow-men,  must  yield  themselves  to 
the  influences  of  that  Spirit,  or  his  regenerating  power 
will  not  be  mightily  exercised  in  the  community  where 
they  dwell.  If  many  souls  are  to  be  gathered  into  the 
kingdom  of  God,  it  must  be  through  the  importunate 
pleadings  of  those  in  whom  the  Spirit  maketh  inter- 
cession with  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered. 

One  of  the  reasons  why  God  has  appointed  this 
method  of  bestowing,  is  in  order  that  the  people  of 
God  may  prize  the  blessing  when  they  receive  it. 
The  principle  that  we  value  what  we  have  wrestled 
for,  applies  to  God's  greatest  gift.  When,  therefore, 
we  begin  to  pray  for  the  mighty  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  in  a  community,  if  our  prayer  is 
answered,  one  of  the  first  results  to  be  expected  will 
be  "great  heaviness  and  continual  sorrow,"  pressing 
upon  the  Lord's  people  as  a  burden  of  anxiety  in 


The  Christian  Believer's  Burden.  19 

behalf  of  friends  and  neighbors  who  are  still  in  sin. 
The  members  of  a  church  will  take  upon  their  hearts, 
in  a  new  and  unusual  manner,  the  congregation  com- 
mitted to  their  care.  They  will  carry  the  burden  day 
after  day,  and  week  after  week.  It  will  constrain 
them  to  persevering  and  importunate  prayer.  It  will 
impart  a  new  tenderness  of  affection  to  all  their  efforts 
for  the  salvation  of  those  whom  they  can  in  any  way 
approach.  It  will  lead  them  to  put  away  all  hin- 
drances to  the  immediate  and  powerful  operations  of 
the  Spirit  of  God.  It  will  unite  together  as  never 
before,  in  a  common  anxiety  and  common  labors.  It 
will  induce  them  to  surrender  everything  else  in  the 
earnest  and  continuous  endeavor  to  call  men  into  the 
fellowship  of  Christ.  To  this  they  will  commit  them- 
selves, sacrificially  laid  upon  the  altar,  determined 
never  to  draw  back  and  never  to  cease  their  prayers 
and  efforts,  assured  that  they  will  not  labor  in  vain  in 
the  Lord. 

Bow  down,  then,  0  children  of  God,  ye  who  are 
yourselves,  as  you  believe,  redeemed  by  the  blood  of 
Christ  and  renewed  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  ye  upon 
whom  rests  the  instrumental  responsibility  of  saving 
souls  specially  committed  to  your  trust;  accept  the 
burden  of  heaviness  and  sorrow,  as  you  take  their 
condemnation  and  peril  upon  your  own  hearts.  So 
pray  and  labor,  by  the  power  and  in  the  fellowship 
of  the  Spirit  working  within  you,  until  you  prevail. 


20  The  G-ospd  Invitation. 

On  the  supposition  that  our  fellow-men  are  in  immi- 
nent danger  of  perishing,  —  and  this  is  the  serious 
truth,  —  there  is  no  anguish  of  spirit,  no  importunity 
of  prayer  and  effort,  too  great  to  be  used  in  their 
behalf.  Surely  they  cannot  strive  too  earnestly  for 
themselves;  and  there  is  no  time  to  delay.  The 
pressure  of  this  burden  upon  our  hearts,  let  us  then 
confess  to  each  other,  and  go  with  it  to  God,  if  perad- 
venture  he  may  pour  upon  us,  and  upon  those  dear 
to  us,  a  blessing  which  "  there  shall  not  be  room 
enough  to  receive." 


THE  OLD  FAITH  AND  THE  NEW. 


BY  EEV.    GEOKGE  C.   LOEIMEK. 


Stand  ye  in  the  ways,  and  see,  and  ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the 
good  way,  and  walk  therein,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  for  your  souls. — Jer. 
vi,  16. 


TENNYSON  sings  sweetly,  but  wildly,  "King*  in  the 
Christ  that  is  to  be." 

Strauss,  when  nearing  the  close  of  his  long  and 
laborious  life,  published  a  work  entitled,  "The  Old 
Faith  and  the  New,"  in  which  he  inquires,  "Are  we 
still  Christians?"  furnishing  an  elaborate  reply  in  the 
negative.  He  declares,  writing  of  a  coming  religion, 
"  that  a  new  growth  will  in  the  future  develop  itself 
from  the  inevitable  dissolution  of  the  old."  Eecently, 
the  Duke  of  Somerset,  in  a  small  work,  which  breathes 
something  of  a  nobleman's  languidness  and  supercili- 
ousness, sanctions  this  dreary  expectation,  saying,  "It 
is  now  obvious  that  the  theology  of  former  ages  can- 
not be  permanently  maintained."  Of  course,  it  is 
hardly  needful  to  say  that  Mr.  0.  B.  Frothingham, 
and  the  radical  party  of  America,  sympathize  with 

21 


22  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

these  views,  regarding  as  certain  the  destruction  of 
the  Old  Faith,  however  they  may  differ  among  them- 
selves concerning  the  doctrines  of  the  New.  They 
appear  to  believe  that  history  must  repeat  itself,  and 
that  as  the  power  of  Greek  and  Roman  mythic  super- 
stitions was  overthrown  by  the  Sophists,  so  must  the 
essential  and  distinguishing  features  of  Christianity 
succumb  to  the  speculative  neologists  and  rational- 
izing critics  of  modern  times. 

As  a  substitute  for  what  they  consider  doomed,  they 
offer  a  variety  of  speculations,  some  of  which  are  more 
radical  than  others,  while  all  partake  of  a  common 
inclination  towards  naturalism  and  the  doctrines  of 
materialism  and  necessity.  The  more  moderate  among 
them,  like  some  of  their  ancient  prototypes,  the  Soph- 
ists, are  not  anxious  to  obliterate  the  name  of  the 
reigning  religion,  but  aim  to  resolve  the  so-called 
mythic  tales  of  miracles  into  certain  great  facts  and 
powers  of  nature,  that,  as  they  claim,  a  more  rational 
ground  of  support  for  religious  life  may  be  furnished. 
In  this  way  they  think  it  will  be  easier  to  accomplish 
their  ends.  They  propose  to  paralyze  the  heart  of 
the  system,  and  to  satisfy  humanity  with  the  faint 
warmth  which  may  survive  for  a  season  in  the  dead 
body. 

Others  openly  and  avowedly  are  more  radical,  and 
agree  either  with  the  more  extreme  among  the  ancient 
Sophists,  or  with  the  philosophic  hopelessness  of  Epi- 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  23 

curus.  Justin  Martyr  wrote  of  the  former  class,  as  it 
was  in  his  times,  "  They  seek  to  convince  us  that  the 
Divinity  extends  his  care  to  the  great  whole,  and  to 
the  several  kinds ;  but  not  to  me  and  to  you,  not  to 
men  as  individuals.  Hence  it  is  useless  to  pray  to  him ; 
for  everything  occurs  according  to  the  unchangeable 
law  of  an  endless  cycle."  And  Pliny,  speaking  from  the 
side  of  the  heathen,  declared  "  that  all  religion  is  the 
offspring  of  necessity,  weakness,  and  fear.  What  God 
is,  if  in  truth  he  be  anything  distinct  from  the  world, 
it  is  beyond  the  compass  of  man's  understanding  to 
know." 

These  and  similar  views  are  being  revived  among 
us,  in  connection  with  modern  discoveries  in  physical 
science,  and  the  advance  in  philosophy.  We  have 
now  Herbert  Spencer's  doctrine  of  the  Unknowable, 
by  which  we  are  taught  that  the  Unseen  Power  of  the 
universe  cannot  be  known  at  all,  and  therefore  can- 
not reasonably  be  served,  loved,  honored,  or  obeyed. 
Haeckel,  of  Jena,  and  with  him  many  others,  regards 
the  course  of  the  world  as  a  ceaseless  evolution,  im- 
plying no  plan,  choice,  or  will,  on  the  part  of  an  Un- 
seen Power,  and  including  no  choice,  will,  or  moral 
good  or  evil,  on  the  part  of  men;  but  only  a  fated 
cycle  of  inevitable  changes,  determined  by  fixed 
mechanical  laws  alone.  In  this  way,  according  to 
their  statement  of  the  case,  "  a  primitive  nebula, 
called  sometimes  a  fire  mist,  has  developed  into 


24  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

worlds,  suns,  planets,  and  living  things,  and  will  prob- 
ably return,  after  countless  ages,  to  nebulous  mist, 
confusion  and  darkness." 

Mr.  Frothingham,  in  one  of  his  published  sermons, 
thus  sharply  contrasts  the  fundamental  teachings  of 
the  New  Faith  with  those  of  the  Old :  "  The  doctrine 
that  man  was  created  perfect,  and  fell,  is  contrasted 
with  the  doctrine  that  man  was  created  imperfect,  and 
rose.  The  doctrine  that  man  was  introduced  upon  the 
planet  a  new  creature,  radically  unlike  any  that  had 
preceded  him,  is  contrasted  with  the  doctrine  that 
man  was  the  natural  result  of  processes  that  had  gone 
before.  The  doctrine  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible 
is  contrasted  with  the  doctrine  of  the  inspiration  of 
the  mind.  The  doctrine  that  truth  is  imparted  by 
supernatural  revelation,  is  contrasted  with  the  doctrine 
that  truth  is  acquired  by  patient  investigation  and 
slow  advance.  The  doctrine  that  the  soul  must  be 
submitted  to  an  external  spiritual  authority,  is  con- 
trasted with  the  doctrine  that  the  soul  is  itself  the 
seat  of  authority." 

It  does  not  seem  to  me  credible  that  the  world  will 
abandon  the  religion  of  Christ  for  a  series  of  proposi- 
tions as  barren  as  these.  Humanity,  though  depraved, 
is  surely  not  inane  enough  to  thrust  from  it  the 
sources  of  its  intellectual  and  moral  inspiration,  and 
receive  instead  teachings  as  unsatisfactory  as  they  are 
unelevating.  I  have  no  fear  for  the  ultimate  result  of 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  25 

these  attacks.  Like  those  which  have  preceded  them 
at  various  periods  of  the  past,  they  will  inevitably  end 
in  placing  Christianity,  as  believed  by  the  fathers,  on 
a  loftier  height  of  influence,  and  on  an  impregnable 
basis  of  evidence. 

But  in  the  meanwhile  damage  is  being  done.  There 
are  not  a  few,  especially  among  the  youth  of  our  city, 
whose  spiritual  future  is  imperiled.  While  the  con- 
flict rages  between  the  true  and  the  false,  while  they 
are  measuring  strength,  the  souls  of  many  may  be 
deceived.  Christianity  is  safe  enough,  but  individuals 
are  not.  It  is  this  impression  that  constrains  me  to 
look  a  little  more  closely  than  I  otherwise  should  at 
the  teachings  of  those  who  desire  to  be  the  religious 
guides  of  the  coming  ages. 

The  Prophet,  in  my  text,  commanded  the  Jews  "  to 
stand  and  see,"  —  see  the  foolish  ways  they  were 
treading,  —  and  return  to  the  old  paths."  And  that 
the  young  men,  who  think  for  themselves,  and  who 
desire  to  devote  their  powers  to  the  loftiest  of  ser- 
vices, may  be  warned  of  pitfalls  which  skeptics  and 
infidels  have  opened  before  them,  and  may  have  their 
confidence  in  the  truth  and  grandeur  of  Christianity 
renewed  and  strengthened,  I  have  concluded,  in  imita- 
tion of  Mr.  Frothingham,  but  on  the  orthodox  side  of 
the  issue,  to  present  for  your  consideration : 


B* 


26  The  Gospel  Invitation. 


THE  PERMANENT  DISTINCTIONS  BETWEEN  THE  OLD  FAITH 
AND    THE    NEW. 

I.  The  Old  Faith  is  Historical,  the  New  is  Specula- 
tive. This  is  a  very  important  distinction,  and  one 
very  easily  understood.  If  we  recur  to  the  ages  before 
Christ's  advent,  we  shall  find  them  setting  towards 
him  —  on  any  other  hypothesis  they  are  aimless.  Not 
only  do  prophets  foretell  his  coming,  but  there  are 
yearnings,  as  expressed  by  Plato,  and  by  the  Stoics 
in  their  dreams  of  human  perfection,  which  point  to 
him.  The  voices  of  oracles,  and  the  inarticulate 
groanings  of  the  heathen,  carry  the  thoughts  of  men 
towards  a  deliverer.  Christ  was  the  goal  towards 
which  ancient  history  set,  its  meaning  and  its  climax; 
for  since  his  appearing  the  great  heart  of  humanity 
has  beat  less  feverishly  and  throbbed  less  painfully. 

We  all  know  that  since  his  resurrection  he  has  been 
the  spring  and  source  of  the  world's  mightiest  and 
most  wide-sweeping  movements.  Modern  history  has 
been  shaped  and  molded  by  the  mission  of  Jesus. 
In  China  and  India,  where  religion  is  speculative,  stag- 
nation has  been  the  rule  for  centuries,  and  they  can 
hardly  claim  to  have  had  any  history  during  this 
period.  If  they  are  now  beginning  to  stir  with  new 
activities,  it  is  because  the  Cross  at  last  has  been 
planted  in  the  heart  of  their  territory.  The  "West 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  27 

has  only  escaped  this  numbed  and  half -paralyzed  con- 
dition, because  Christianity  has  been  its  quickening 
force. 

Christianity  is  not  merely  historical  as  influencing 
history,  but  as  being  in  itself  historical.  Our  reli- 
gion is  to  be  considered  first  of  all  as  a  series  of  facts. 
Of  course  it  came  rich  in  ideas ;  richer  than  those  of 
the  whole  body  of  ancient  philosophy,  and  deeper 
than  those  of  a  Plato  or  an  Aristotle.  Nevertheless, 
its  first  aspect  presents  deeds  done,  events  occurring, 
scenes  transpiring  in  the  ordinary  relations  of  life. 
These  are  seeds  which  contain  the  flower  of  doctrine. 
Facts  involve  truths.  Thus  the  miracles  of  Christ 
carried  in  their  train  the  doctrine  of  the  supernatural, 
as  his  resurrection  proclaimed  the  hope  of  immortality. 
Indeed,  every  act  of  his  life,  and  every  movement  of 
his  ministry,  was  pregnant  with  abstract  truth.  Nor 
should  it  be  forgotten  that  this  history  formed  part  of 
the  history  of  a  period,  is  inseparably  interwoven  with 
what  for  convenience  we  may  call  the  secular,  and  can- 
not be  denied  without  repudiating  the  annals  of  the 
latter  as  well. 

The  advantages  of  this  characteristic  of  our  religion 
are  manifold.  Not  the  least  is  the  opportunity  it 
affords  for  a  searching  investigation  of  its  claims  to 
superhuman  origin.  By  this  we  see  that  it  hides  be- 
hind no  veil  of  mystery,  no  inexplicable  and  unintel- 
ligible mummeries,  but  invites  the  most  rigid  scrutiny. 


28  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

To  all  men  it  says,  "  These  things  were  not  done  in  a 
corner.  If  you  can  show  that  they  did  not  take  place 
as  recorded,  then  the  doctrines  which  are  their  legiti- 
mate outgrowth  are  unworthy  your  confidence.  De- 
cide the  question  for  yourselves,  and  just  as  you  would 
any  other  in  history.  Search  me,  know  me,  and  see 
whether  the  facts  are  not  abundantly  sustained." 
Begin  your  inquiries :  Did  Christ  live  ?  Did  he  die  ? 
Did  he  rise  again  ?  Did  he  send  out  the  Word,  and 
has  it  done  in  the  earth  what  he  said  it  should  accom- 
plish ?  These  questions,  and  others  like  them,  you 
can  readily  answer,  and  with  their  answer  will  come 
acceptance  or  rejection  of  the  system. 

Moreover,  there  is  that  in  the  nature  of  man  which 
seems  to  demand  this  historical  element  in  religion. 
Few  among  us,  if  we  may  judge  from  observation,  are 
capable  of  abstractions.  Even  the  pagans  tried  to 
simplify  and  commend  their  doctrines  by  inventing  a 
mythology  which  gave  an  appearance  of  fact  to  what 
they  taught.  We  take  pleasure  in  personal  existences 
and  their  actions.  We  need  an  apprehensible  object 
to  worship,  and  if  we  are  to  exercise  dependence  and 
trust  we  must  have  something  more  before  the  mind 
than  a  vague  ideal. 

Then  such  a  system  furnishes  examples — not  merely 
rules  and  precepts,  as  speculation  does.  It  shows  in 
the  real  domain  of  life  what  men  ought  to  be.  Duty 
is  revealed  more  clearly,  and  altogether  more  attrac- 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  29 

lively.  We  can  idealize  with  facility,  but  we  execute 
with  difficulty.  What  we  want  to  feel  is  that  the  por- 
trait of  human  perfection  is  capable  of  actualization  in 
such  a  world  as  this.  It  is  not  the  poet's  description 
of  purity  the  heart  craves,  but  the  exhibition  of  it  in 
a  life.  This  is  furnished  by  the  historic  Jesus,  and,  in 
a  measure,  by  the  historic  apostles.  Moreover,  there 
is  a  consciousness  of  sin  in  our  hearts.  Sin  is  the 
most  momentous  and  terrible  fact  of  our  experience. 
We  know  that  it  is  in  the  way  of  our  attaining  moral 
excellence,  and  spiritual  perfection.  This  must  be 
overcome.  But  how?  Not  by  a  dream,  a  beautiful 
philosophy,  but  by  a  fact  equally  real  and  mighty 
as  itself.  That  fact  is  supplied  by  the  Cross ;  and  the 
weary  soul,  burdened  with  a  sense  of  its  actual  guilt, 
finds  there  an  actual  atonement,  and  actual  cleansing. 
Thus  a  divine  fact  is  set  over  against  the  human  fact, 
and  whoever  apprehends  their  relations  to  each  other 
attains  peace  of  conscience. 

On  such  a  foundation  as  this  we  can  build  with  sat- 
isfaction. Here  is  a  tower  firmly  constructed,  resting 
on  primeval  granite,  from  whose  summit  we  can  se- 
curely sweep  the  vast  circumference  of  the  spiritual 
heavens.  In  comparison  with  this  the  foundation  on 
which  the  New  Faith  builds  is  as  cloud,  mist  and  fog- 
bank.  In  exchange  for  this,  we  are  offered  specula- 
tions—  the  surmisings  and  the  hypotheses  of  modern 
teachers.  Their  guesses,  their  hasty  conclusions  from 


30  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

uncertain  premises,  appear  to  me  but  miserable  substi- 
tutes for  historic  facts. 

Speculations  are  legion.  In  all  circles,  evidently, 
there  is  a  mania  in  this  direction.  On  all  sides  there 
appears  to  be  an  intense  desire  to  explain  all  spiritual 
phenomena  without  the  aid  of  Revelation,  and  as  far 
from  its  teachings  as  possible.  Science,  in  the  person 
of  its  devotees,  has  become  as  speculative,  as  prolific 
of  physi co-metaphysical  theories  as  the  most  bewitched 
metaphysician  could  desire.  On  more  than  one  occa- 
sion, distinguished  physicists,  such  as  Tyndall  and 
Huxley,  have  been  seen  to  stray  into  a  perfect  wilder- 
ness of  metaphysics,  where,  getting  enchanted,  they 
have  become  as  enslaved  to  their  physically-named 
metaphysical  entities  as  some  of  the  Arabian  Nights' 
heroes  to  the  genii.  We  have  had  a  large,  ever- 
increasing  and  varied  crop  of  cosmic  speculations, 
ranging  from  theories  of  the  origin  of  species  to 
theories  of  the  origin  of  the  universe.  Mr.  Spencer 
has  tried  to  build  up  a  science  of  the  universe  on  a 
philosophy  of  the  unknowable,  which  may  be  embod- 
ied in  one  citation  from  his  pages :  "  The  widest,  deep- 
est, and  most  certain  of  all  facts  is  that  the  power 
which  the  universe  manifests  to  us  is  wholly  inscru- 
table." 

But  after  all  he  has  said  in  support  of  such  a 
theory,  what  is  it  but  a  bare  speculation  ?  And  yet 
men  profess  to  be  guided  in  their  thinking  by  a  prin- 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  31 

ciple  as  self-destructive  and  self-contradictory  as  this. 
I  say  it  is  both ;  because  if  the  power  behind  the  uni- 
verse is  inscrutable,  how  do  we  know  that  there  is  any 
power  at  all  ?  How  do  we  know  whether  it  is  one  or 
many?  And  if  it  is  manifest  in  the  universe,  it  is 
not  wholly  inscrutable,  and  may  become  clearer  and 
clearer.  Professor  Tyndall,  also,  has  put  forth  some 
memorable  speculations,  revealing  the  sweetest  sim- 
plicity in  things  historical,  and  disguising  the  most 
airy  metaphysics  in  scientific  terms.  Witness  his  Bel- 
fast address,  the  speculative  character  of  which  he 
himself  admitted  by  its  subsequent  modification. 

Then  we  have  assumed  theories  of  development 
which  have  not  reliable  facts  by  which  to  verify  them. 
Examples  are  wanting  of  man's  outgrowth  from  a 
lower  type.  It  cannot  be  proved  that  he  is  the  latest 
outcome  of  Nature's  efforts  at  improving  on  .her  own 
experiments  in  organic  life,  or  the  result  of  some  acci- 
dental variety  of  birth  in  a  chimpanzee  family.  This 
can  hardly  be  called  a  new  hypothesis.  It  was  hinted 
at  by  very  ancient  writers.  Pliny  wrote,  "  Man  is  the 
being  for  whose  sake  all  other  things  appear  to  have 
been  produced  by  Nature."  "  Yet,"  he  remarked, 
"the  various  kinds  of  apes  offer  an  almost  perfect 
resemblance  to  man  in  their  physical  structure."  Did 
not  this  idea  find  expression  in  the  early  pagan  my- 
thologies ?  The  god  of  flocks  and  herds  among  the 
Greeks  was  represented  as  a  compound  creature,  having 


32  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

the  horns  and  feet  of  the  goat,  and  the  face  of  a  man. 
The  satyrs  also  blended  the  animal  with  the  human. 
It  is  to  such  myths  Huxley  tries  to  impart  scientific 
certainty,  when  he  declares  "that  man  has  proceeded 
from  a  modification  or  an  improvement  of  some  lower 
animal;"  and  we  are  warranted  in  concluding  from 
his  latest  array  of  evidence,  that  it  rests  as  yet  on 
guesses  and  inferences,  which  are  only  a  step  removed 
from  those  which  haunted  the  imagination  of  the  men 
who  imposed  the  original  myths  upon  the  ancient 
world. 

The  same  may  be  alleged  of  the  theories  of  Comte 
and  Spencer  concerning  the  evolution  of  religious  be- 
lief. It  is  now  thought  possible  to  explain  the  grand 
ideas  of  monotheism  and  of  Christian  doctrine  by  the  * 
talismanic  word  "evolution."  This  is  the  new  "open 
sesame  "  to  all  spiritual  mysteries.  But  the  advocates 
of  this  speculation  furnish  no  instance  of  peoples  who 
have  grown  without  foreign  influence  from  atheism 
into  fetichism,  and  from  it  through  intermediate  stages 
into  monotheism ;  and  until  such  examples  be  given, 
hypotheses,  claiming  to  be  Natural  Histories  of  Reli- 
gion, must  be  judged  hypotheses  still. 

Evolution  is  much  talked  of  as  the  solution  of  the 
problem  of  creation,  and  in  some  quarters  it  is  re- 
garded as  a  quietus  to  the  Old  Faith.  But  what  does 
it  mean  ?  What  does  it  explain  ?  It  is,  we  are  told, 
a  theory  of  creation.  But  in  what  sense  ?  Does  it 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  33 

describe  the  cause  or  the  method?  Process  is  one 
thing,  cause  is  another.  Simplifying  the  method  is 
not  the  same  as  simplifying  the  cause.  Suppose  the 
doctrine  is  true  regarding  "  the  struggle  for  exist- 
ence/' or  the  "survival  of  the  fittest/'  —  still  the 
question  remains,  Whence  came  the  existence  to 
struggle,  the  fittest  to  survive  ?  Whence,  after  all, 
came  the  Nature  whose  potencies  were  to  accomplish 
such  admirable  wonders  ?  The  cause,  the  .  Supreme 
cause  of  all  things,  is  as  much  in  the  dark  as  ever. 

Understand  me,  I  do  not  claim  that  Mr.  Darwin,  the 
author  of  "  Origin  of  Species,"  has  overlooked  this 
distinction,  but  others  have,  and  the  result  is  that  they 
have  speculated  God  out  of  the  Universe.  The  point 
I  make  is  that  the  popular  metaphysics  of  science  are 
not  warranted  by  the  facts  of  science,  and  that  specu- 
lations only  indicate  the  inability  of  men's  intellect  to 
grapple  with  the  problems  of  existence,  and  to  pro- 
vide an  adequate  substitute  for  the  Old  Faith,  which 
they  are  seeking  to  supplant. 

This  limitation  has  been  acknowledged  at  times  by 
the  most  thoughtful  of  the  race.  Socrates,  the  most 
celebrated  among  the  wise  men  of  Greece,  designated 
his  knowing  that  he  knew  nothing,  as  that  wisdom 
Which  he  possessed  above  others.  Goethe,  the  most 
comprehensive  intellect  of  Germany,  says,  "Man  is 
an  obscure  being :  he  knows  not  whence  he  comes,  nor 
whither  he  goes;  he  knows  little  of  the  world,  and, 

0 


34  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

least  of  all,  of  himself."  "  We  are  all  walking  amidst 
mysteries  and  marvels,"  says  he,  in  another  place ; 
and  in  Faust : 


"  Inscrutable  in  broadest  light, 

To  be  unveiled  by  thee  she  (Nature)  doth  refuse; 
What  she  reveals  not  to  thy  mental  sight, 
Thou  wilt  not  wrest  from  her  with  bars  and  screws." 


"  Nature  always  contains  something  problematical, 
which  human  faculties  are  incapable  of  fathoming." 
What  he  says  in  Faust  is  no  rash  exaggeration. 
There  is  in  the  race  an  insatiable  hunger  after  knowl- 
edge, and  yet  we  are  compelled  to  add — 

"  That  we  in  truth  can  nothing  know 
This  in  my  heart  like  fire  doth  burn." 

Pascal  declares  that  "  the  last  step  of  Reason  is  to 
perceive  that  there  are  infinitely  many  things  that 
surpass  her,  and  if  she  does  not  attain  this  knowledge, 
she  is  weak  indeed."  If  these  opinions  are  worth 
anything,  they  mean  that  speculation  cannot  furnish  a 
firm  and  sure  foundation  on  which  to  build  a  religious 
faith  or  life.  As  Goethe  says,  "Human  reason  and 
Divine  reason  are  not  the  same,"  and  it  is  only  the 
latter  revealed  to  us  that  can  impart  certainty  to  the 
beliefs  of  the  former.  I  spoke  of  the  Christian  system 
a  few  moments  since,  as  built  upon  history  like  a 
tower  for  astronomy.  May  we  not  now  compare  it  to 
a  lighthouse  —  while  the  New  Faith  in  all  of  its  phases 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  35 

is  as  a  ship  upon  the  stormy  sea.  The  vessel  that  is 
driving  yonder,  and  the  lighthouse,  seem  both  to  be 
built  upon  the  troubled  ocean.  So  the  superficial 
would  conclude  that  the  Old  Faith  as  well  as  the  New 
rest  upon  the  shifting  billows  of  speculation.  But  in 
this  they  are  mistaken.  Only  the  New  Faith  tosses 
on  its  uneasy  waves;  the  Old  sinks  down  through 
them  all,  through  the  depths  out  of  sight,  and  rests 
upon  the  adamant  of  historic  verities.  Therefore,  in 
that  Old  tower,  lone  though  it  may  seem,  and  exposed 
to  many  a  storm,  I  can  securely  sleep ;  while  worn 
and  spray-blinded  the  victims  of  the  New,  like  the 
fabled  Yanderdecken,  seeking  port  for  his  phantom 
ship,  are  driving  into  the  darkness  of  despair. 

II.  The  Old  Faith  is  Positive,  the  New  is  Negative. 
The  correctness  of  this  characterization  of  Christianity 
cannot  be  questioned.  She  has  something  to  say  for 
herself.  She  is  no  stammerer.  Her  speech  is  dis- 
tinct, her  declarations  positive.  Kich  as  well  as  abso- 
lute is  her  creed.  She  knows  God,  and  proclaims  him 
in  all  the  circled  and  full-orbed  completeness  of  his 
glory.  His  attributes  are  defined,  his  personality  de- 
clared, and  his  gracious  purposes  delineated.  The 
Blessed  Christ  is  not  a  stranger  to  her ;  for  the  bride 
knows  the  bridegroom.  His  love,  tender  sympathy, 
matchless  self-sacrifice,  and  undying  faithfulness,  are 
set  forth  by  her  in  words  that  burn.  The  mystery  of 


36  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

his  nature  is  unveiled,  and  "  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh "  is  the  wonderful  solution  of  the  problem  re- 
garding him,  of  whom  Jean  Paul  Kichter  wrote  "  that 
with  his  pierced  hands  he  lifted  the  gates  of  Empire 
off  their  hinges."  To  her  the  significance  of  his  death 
is  not  in  question.  "  He  died,  the  just  for  the  unjust, 
that  he  might  bring  us  to  God,"  is  her  inspired  ex- 
planation. The  blood  shed  on  Calvary  is  in  her  creed, 
the  bath  of  cleansing,  the  fount  of  renewal.  Knowing 
Christ,  Christianity  knows  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  indeed 
dwells  in  her  and  guides  her  into  all  truth,  comforting 
and  sanctifying  her  thereby.  Clearly  she  announces 
the  reality  of  the  supernatural,  and  presents  herself 
as  the  most  distinguished  proof ;  nor  does  she  hesitate 
to  proclaim  that  every  man  who  sees  the  kingdom  of 
God  must  be  born  from  above. 

Knowing  heavenly  things,  she  knows  earthly  things 
as  well.  She  furnishes  the  only  philosophy  of  human- 
ity—  accounting  for  its  origin,  its  condition,  and  his- 
tory. To  her  unclouded  vision  eternity  is  as  a  world 
touching  upon  this.  Of  heaven  she  sings,  and  with 
no  faltering  tongue  proclaims  the  deathlessness  of  the 
human  spirit. 

In  a  word,  she  supplies  a  positive,  affirmative  creed, 
which,  as  Napoleon  said  at  St.  Helena,  "is  logical  in 
all  of  its  parts."  She  does  not  permit  cavil  or  doubt 
to  trifle  with  her  revelations.  Dogmatic  and  absolute 
is  she  on  all  subjects  about  which  she  speaks.  To 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  37 

this  it  may  be  objected  that  Christianity  is  too  exclu- 
sive and  intolerant.  But  her  exclusiveness  includes 
all  that  we  need  to  know,  and  her  intolerance  is  simply 
the  sovereignty  of  truth.  Truth  cannot  admit  the  pos- 
sibility of  its  opposite  being  true  without  denying  its 
own  authority.  Antagonistic  views  cannot  be  equally 
authentic.  Were  Christianity  to  cease  from  declaring 
herself  the  only  heavenly  religion,  she  would  annihilate 
her  power  over  the  conscience,  and  would  even  ques- 
tion her  own  right  to  exist,  for  she  would  be  denying 
her  necessity.  As  it  is  reported  that  at  the  beginning 
she  rejected  a  place  for  her  Saviour  in  the  Koman 
Pantheon,  so  she  is  compelled  by  her  very  nature  to 
reject  all  alliances  and  fellowship  with  other  systems. 
The  question  of  Pilate,  "  What  is  truth  ? "  was  an- 
swered by  Christ  in  the  words,  "I  am  the  truth;" 
and  in  these  days  his  representatives  dare  not  sanc- 
tion a  renewal  of  heathen  skepticism. 

How  different  from  this  is  the  New  Faith.  In  its 
development  and  in  its  declarations  it  is  a  series  of 
negations.  It  is  a  denial.  Every  step  of  its  melan- 
choly progress  reveals  this. 

About  the  time  of  the  Reformation  a  number  of 
uneasy  spirits  opposed  the  orthodox  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity.  This  movement  was  expressed  by  the  Italian, 
Faustus  Socinius,  who,  in  1574,  gave  up  a  comfortable 
position  in  the  Medicean  court  and  betook  himself  to 
Germany  and  Poland,  where  he  became  the  centre  of 


38  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

the  denial  of  the  Trinity.  Socinianism  does  not  deny 
either  inspiration  or  supernaturalism,  but  makes  its 
own  subjective  notions  the  standard  of  all  truth.  For 
this  reason  it  rejects  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  divinity. 
Wollzogen,  the  Socinian,  said.  "It  is  more  credible 
that  a  man  should  be  an  ass,  than  that  God  should  be 


a  man." 


English  deism  in  the  seventeenth  century  made  a 
still  further  advance  on  the  path  of  negation.  Lord 
Herbert  of  Cherbury  (1648)  headed  the  movement, 
and  was  followed  by  Toland,  Tindal,  Bolingbroke,  and 
others.  It  was  not  a  frivolous,  but  an  earnest  and 
moral  spirit  which  originated  this  movement,  whose 
object  was  to  reduce  Christianity  to  general  moral  and 
religious  principles.  Lord  Herbert,  when  he  had  com- 
pleted his  book,  prayed  God  to  show  him  whether  it 
would  be  to  his  glory  to  publish  it.  He  says,  "  I  had 
scarcely  uttered  these  words,  when  a  distinct,  yet  gen- 
tle sound,  unlike  any  earthly  one,  came  from  heaven. 
This  so  supported  me  and  gave  me  peace,  that  I  con- 
sidered my  prayer  as  heard."  This  is  wonderful. 
That  God  should  give  direct  attestation  to  a  book  that 
denied  the  possibility  of  a  revelation ;  and  that  we  are 
not  to  believe  that  he  manifested  himself  in  Christ, 
but  are  expected  to  believe  that  he  manifested  himself 
to  Lord  Herbert  of  Cherbury,  are  amiable  assumptions, 
whose  logical  consistency  is  not  very  apparent.  Was 
there  ever  greater  credulity  or  blindness  ? 


The  Old  'Faith  and  the,  New.  39 

The  naturalistic  tendency  assumed  a  different  form 
in  France.  There  it  was  frivolous,  immoral,  blasphe- 
mous, denying  the  very  existence  of  God.  Rosseau, 
indeed,  had  some  religious  feeling,  but  his  delusive 
theory  of  a  "state  of  nature"  was  destructive  of 
everything  like  religion.  Voltaire,  whose  wit  ruled 
his  age,  and  to  whom  Frederick  the  Great  wrote, 
"There  is  but  one  God,  and  there  is  but  one  Voltaire," 
satirized  and  abused  the  church,  repeatedly  saying, 
"  ecrasez  Vinfame;"  and  he  ventured  to  predict  the 
fall  of  Christ  from  his  dominion  over  men's  minds  in 
a  few  decades.  Singular  infatuation!  Jesus  yet 
reigns,  and  reigns  more  gloriously  than  ever,  while 
Voltaire  is  practically  forgotten.  Though  these  men 
drifted  far  away  from  truth,  it  was  reserved  for 
Holbach  and  his  gourmands  to  touch  the  bottom  oi; 
the  abyss.  In  his  "  Systeme  de  la  Nature,"  Baron 
Holbach  affirmed  materialism  in  its  baldest  form ;  and 
denied  without  scruple  the  existence  of  God,  the 
reality  of  man's  spiritual  nature,  and  all  ethics,  but 
those  of  self-love  and  self-interest. 

In  Germany,  Herman  Reimarus,  a  native  of  Ham- 
burg, took  the  lead  in  religious  dissent,  and  trans- 
planted English  deism  to  the  soil  of  his  own  country. 
His  polemics  were  not  only  against  Scripture,  but 
against  the  morals  of  Scripture  characters,  and  in- 
cluded Jesus  as  well.  Kant,  in  his  Criticism  of  Pure 
Reason,  declared  all  thought  to  be  subjective,  and  con- 


40  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

sequently  that  nothing  can  be  known  of  the  super- 
sensuous  in  general  with  objective  certainty.  God, 
immortality,  are  claims  of  conscience,  voiced  by  this 
inner  witness  to  truth,  and  on  this  foundation  he 
shaped  the  moral  world. 

Rationalism,  which  aims  to  reduce  Christianity  to 
the  standard  of  sound  reason,  grew  out  of  these  ele- 
ments. It  teaches  that  there  is  a  God,  but  a  God  who 
leaves  the  world  to  itself,  with  the  exception  of  seeing 
that  it  does  not  deviate  from  the  laws  he  has  imposed 
on  it.  According  to  its  philosophy,  there  is  not, 
neither  can  there  be,  miracle,  prophecy,  or  direct 
revelation.  God  cannot  interpose  directly,  and  as  to 
Jesus  Christ,  he  is  no  miracle,  but  only,  so  says  this 
"Daniel  come  to  judgment,"  the  wisest  and  most  vir- 
tuous man  that  ever  lived. 

Another  step  in  this  downward  tendency  is  fur- 
nished by  Pantheism.  It  denies  the  personal  God, 
moral  freedom,  and  the  immortality  of  soul,  which 
Rationalism  is  supposed  to  hold.  God  is  cosmical  life, 
or  the  universal  reason  in  all  things.  He  is  not  essen- 
tially separate  from  the  world.  He  is,  as  Spinoza  puts 
it,  the  ocean  of  existence,  and  all  things  are  but 
waves,  ripples,  spray,  which  subside  back  again  into 
the  common  life.  He  is  the  light,  and  the  various 
great  types  of  existence  are  but  as  the  prismatic 
colors,  which  are  distinct,  and  yet  are  but  modifica- 
tions of  the  one  absolute  effulgence.  There  is  no 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  41 

personal  relation  to  such  a  God,  because  he  is  imper- 
sonal, and  has  no  personal  relation  to  us.  Indeed, 
Hegel  taught  that  he  is  not  self -known,  but  only 
known  to  us ;  that  man  is  the  reality  of  God,  and  God 
merely  the  truth  of  man;  consequently,  while  there 
may  be  a  certain  religious  disposition,  there  can  be  no 
faith,  no  hope,  no  prayer,  to  such  a  God.  Morality  is 
virtually  abolished,  for  its  postulates  are  destroyed,  as 
there  is  no  deity  to  impose  a  law,  and  no  such  thing 
as  free  will  to  execute  it. 

The  last  step  in  this  dark  and  chilly  descent  is 
Materialism.  Feuerbach  marks  the  transition :  "  God 
was  my  first;  reason,  my  second;  man,  my  third  and 
last  notion."  Thus  he  expresses  the  downward  course 
of  his  theological  reasoning.  He  regards  God  as  a 
creation  of  man,  and  formulizes,  —  "Man  created  God 
after  his  own  image."  There  is  no  soul,  no  freedom, 
no  immortality,  nothing  but  the  blackness  of  night 
forever. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  extreme  of  doubt.  It 
began  in  denying  Christ's  divinity;  it  ends  in  deny- 
ing man's  spiritual  nature,  and  divinity  altogether. 
It  began  by  revising  the  piety  and  morals  of  religion  ; 
it  terminates  by  abolishing  them  altogether.  It  can 
descend  no  lower.  The  gospel  of  earth,  the  evangel 
of  mud,  the  millenium  of  despair  has  been  reached, 
and  lower  depth  is  impossible,  save  into  thg  abyss 
profound. 


42  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

These  opinions  are  misleading  many  persons  to-day 
—  and  are  the  ever-deepening  shadows  of  the  New 
Faith,  which  envelop  mind  in  the  intense  darkness 
of  negation.  Some  of  their  advocates,  to  render  more 
plausible  their  untenable  theories,  pretend  to  discard 
all  philosophizing,  and  set  them  forth  as  the  doctrine 
of  common  sense.  The  observances  of  prayer,  praise, 
adoration,  faith,  hope,  are  not  according  to  common 
sense,  and  are,  therefore,  useless.  The  sentiment  of 
religion,  God,  providence,  immortality,  are  not  accept- 
able to  common  sense,  and  must  therefore  be  swept 
from  the  mind.  But  common  sense  is  not  infallible. 
Many  other  things  are  contrary  to  it.  Common  sense 
does  not  justify  or  explain  heroism,  the  explorer's  joy, 
the  reformer's  consecration  to  his  work,  the  saint's 
rapture,  the  friend's  disinterested  loyalty.  In  a  word, 
common  sense,  as  proclaimed  by  these  gentlemen, 
simply  ignores  what  is  contrary  to  its  earthiness,  its 
sensuousness,  and  its  selfishness. 

And  this  is  what  is  offered  as  a  substitute  for  the 
Old  Faith.  An  unknown  God,  who  is  also  the  Untalk- 
able,  who  is  secluded  from  our  prayers,  and  excluded 
from  our  love.  Is  this  common  sense  ?  Does  common 
sense  demand  us  to  believe  that  duty  is  enveloped  in 
everlasting  mist,  and  futurity  in  impenetrable  doubt  ? 
Is  a  huge  Perhaps  our  only  anchorage  ?  Are  we  ever 
to  remain  satisfied  trying  to  secure  ourselves  to  a 
bank  of  fog,  instead  of  finding  some  solid  rock  under 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  43 

whose  sheltering  strength  we  can  securely  rest?  Is  it 
common  sense  to  solace  ourselves  in  sorrow  with  the 
doctrine  of  the  Uncertain  ?  or  to  confront  the  reality 
of  death  with  a  may-be  existence  to  sustain  us  ?  Is  it 
common  sense  to  repudiate  the  deepest  and  most 
sacred  instincts  of  our  natures,  to  turn  from  religion 
with  its  blood-bought  pardon  and  its  inspirations  to 
purity  ?  Common  sense !  Kather  call  it  common  non~ 
sense ! 

Were  the  Old  Faith  burdened  with  greater  difficul- 
ties than  are  alleged  against  it,  were  its  mysteries 
deeper,  the  reason  that  stirs  within  us,  the  conscience 
that  alarms  our  guilt,  the  instinct  that  bids  us  look 
beyond  the  present  to  a  home  of  cloudless  felicity, 
would  rise  up  in  its  defense.  Man's  whole  nature 
pleads  for  the  Old  Faith,  even  as  the  Old  Faith  pleads 
for  man.  It  is  light  to  his  spiritual  eye,  sound  to  his 
spiritual  ear,  life  to  his  death,  joy  to  his  spiritual  sor- 
row, hope  to  his  spiritual  despair.  On  its  truth  he  can 
feed ;  on  its  promises  he  can  rest ;  by  its  teachings  he 
can  guide  his  feet  through  this  vale  of  gloom  to  the 
Paradise  above.  He  dare  not  abandon  it;  he  dare  not 
bid  chaos  come  again,  or  seek  strength  and  peace  in 
that  which  is  without  form  and  void,  and  on  whose 
dusky  waters  broods  no  Heavenly  Dove  to  give  it  ulti- 
mately the  order  and  the  glory  of  a  new  creation. 


44  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

III.  The  Old  Faith  is  Constructive,  the  New  is  De- 
structive. With  this  final  distinction,  the  sphere  of  the 
practical  is  reached.  The  ultimate  test  of  religious 
systems  must  always  be  identical  with  that  which  our 
Saviour  applied  to  individuals  —  "fruit."  "By  their 
fruit  shall  ye  know  them."  If  the  faith  which  claims 
to  be  from  heaven  is  not  abundant  in  good  works,  if 
it  does  not  conserve  the  interests  of  humanity,  elevat- 
ing and  refining,  then  it  lacks  the  most  conclusive  of 
all  proofs.  The  child  should  resemble  the  sire.  A 
heavenly  faith  should  be,  and  will  be  heavenly. 
Eighteousness,  peace,  and  joy  will  distinguish  it;  and 
only  as  it  answers  the  real  ends  of  religion  in  the 
every-day  life  of  the  world  will  it  receive  the  homage 
of  mind  and  heart.  Nothing  to  me  is  so  evident  as 
that  doctrines  emanating  directly  or  indirectly  from 
the  Author  of  creation  must  be  fitted  to  promote  the 
well-being  of  society.  I  can  no  more  conceive  that 
God  would  make  the  material  world  in  the  interests 
of  his  thinking  creatures,  and  then  furnish  a  faith 
which  should  work  detrimentally  or  mischievously, 
than  I  can  believe  that  sweet  and  bitter  waters  pro- 
ceed from  one  fountain. 

This  view  of  the  case  has  been  pretty  generally 
accepted  by  the  representatives  of  all  opinions;  and 
at  times  has  taken  shape  hostile  to  the  claims  of 
Christianity  itself.  Not  a  few  of  those  who  advocate 
the  New  Faith,  have  taken  pains  to  show  that  the  Old 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  45 

is  evil  in  its  bearings.  They  have  tried  to  prove  that 
its  morality  is  such  that  in  practice  it  would  dissolve 
society,  disorganize  governments,  and  impede  the  pro- 
gress of  the  race.  Strauss  accuses  it  of  an  unmistak- 
able tendency  towards  communism,  while  the  com- 
munists of  France  and  Germany  reject  it  because  of 
its  leanings  toward  monarchism.  Mr.  Frothingham, 
in  a  discourse  on  Materialism,  declares  that  evangelical 
teachers  inculcate  the  following  opinions:  that  "edu- 
cation is  of  no  account ;  knowledge  is  worthless ;  cul- 
ture is  vain;  personal  goodness  counts  for  nothing; 
social  kindness  is  valueless;  the  truest  greatness  of 
mind  and  character  is  powerless  to  help  man  to  health 
and  felicity."  This  is  a  misrepresentation.  The  Old 
Faith  encourages  the  broadest  culture,  but  it 'denies 
that  it  can  either  regenerate  a  soul  or  justify  it  before 
God.  It  proclaims  an  atonement,  not  as  a  substitute 
for  personal  training,  but  as  a  provision  for  its  recon- 
ciliation with  the  Highest. 

But 'this  very  conception  of  an  atonement  becomes 
a  ground  of  assault  on  the  morality  of  the  Christian 
scheme.  It  is  claimed  that  it  justifies  injustice,  and 
propounds  a  theory  that  subverts  every  wholesome 
principle  of  rectitude.  Mr.  Frothingham  is  strikingly 
severe  in  his  denunciations  of  this  doctrine ;  and  repre- 
sents it  as  maintaining  that  by  a  material  operation 
the  souls  of  men  are  to  be  saved. 

He  and  others  fail  to  see  that  its  inherent  and  rela- 


46  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

tive  morality  may  be  vindicated  on  such  grounds  as 
these :  that  the  very  idea  of  such  an  atonement  has 
its  root  in  an  intense  realization  of  righteousness, 
moral  laxity  having  nothing  to  do  with  it;  that  no 
violation  of  a  righteous  law  is  involved,  inasmuch  as 
it  is  appointed  and  accepted  by  the  lawgiver,  and  un- 
dertaken freely  by  the  substitute ;  that  it  is  no  more 
unjust,  per  se,  that  the  perfectly  holy  Christ  should 
die  for  the  guilty  as  an  expiatory  sacrifice^  than  it 
would  be  for  him  to  suffer  in  the  slightest  degree  as 
an  example ;  and  that  the  avowed  end  of  substitution 
is  not  to  appease  personal  feeling  in  God,  but  to  vin- 
dicate righteousness  in  the  inviolable  maintenance  of 
law.  Neither  do  our  opponents  perceive  the  bearing 
of  the  fact,  that  wherever  the  atonement  is  proclaimed 
it  awakens  an  intense  desire  for  personal  purity,  ren- 
ders the  conscience  more  sensitive,  and  reclaims  thou- 
sands from  vicious  courses.  Wherever  the  Old  Faith 
is  earnestly,  simply,  and  clearly  preached,  great  revi- 
vals follow,  thousands  are  reclaimed  and  lifted  up  from 
despair  to  hope.  When  the  doctrines  of  Strauss  and 
Parker  result  in  moral  transformations  as  numerous 
and  as  distinct  as  those  which  have  followed  the  teach- 
ings of  Whitfield,  Spurgeon  or  Moody,  we  shall  be 
more  inclined  than  we  are  now  to  credit  them  with 
the  possession  of  some  redeeming  qualities. 

The   accusations   brought   by  the  New  Faith   are 
wholly  without  foundation.      Christianity  is  entirely 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  47 

beneficial.  It  is  constructive,  formative.  It  imparts 
healthy  action  to  society,  having  supplied  it  with  its 
purest  ideals  and  noblest  organizations.  The  dearest 
interests  of  the  race  are  conserved  by  its  influence. 
From  it  human  governments  receive  their  stability, 
the  family  its  sacredness,  industry  its  honor,  law  its 
authority.  It  has  inspired  the  loftiest  sentiments,  and 
kindled  the  genius  of  the  poet  and  the  artist,  while  it 
has  bound  all  ranks  in  the  ties  of  a  noble  brotherhood. 
The  career  of  the  Old  Faith,  from  the  past  to  the 
present,  gives  abundant  proof  of  this.  Christianity 
introduced  the  era  of  humanity.  Not  before  its  ad- 
vent did  men  look  upon  themselves  as  members  of 
one  great  family,  having  a  common  parentage  in  the 
Supreme.  Not  before  were  the  rights  of  human  per- 
sonality acknowledged,  as  sacred  and  inviolable.  Their 
recognition  must  be  regarded  as  fruits  of  Christianity. 
It  made  no  direct  changes  in  the  external  arrange- 
ments of  society  when  it  first  appeared ;  it  left  laws 
and  privileges,  manners  and  conditions,  customs  and 
ranks,  as  it  found  them,  but  it  introduced  a  new  spirit 
into  all  of  these  arrangements,  which  is  gradually 
transforming  them  to  heaven's  ideal.  It  raised  the 
condition  of  woman  from  a  degraded  to  an  honorable 
one,  declaring  that  in  point  of  honor  there  is  neither 
male  nor  female  in  Christ  Jesus.  It  made  love,  which, 
as  Montesquieu  says,  "  at  the  time  of  its  introduction, 
bore  only  a  form  which  cannot  be  named,"  the  noblest 


48  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

and  tenderest  power  of  mental  and  spiritual  life.  It 
created  a  new  family — grounding  it  in  an  affection, 
hearty  and  genuine,  and  hitherto  unknown. 

Not  till  its  dawning  did  the  love  for  neighbors  in 
any  true  sense  exist.  Christianity  made  the  Good 
Samaritan  the  pattern  of  our  relations  with  those  from 
whom  we  differ  in  race  or  creed.  By  the  wondrous 
mystery  and  infinite  tenderness  of  the  Cross  it  intro- 
duced humanity  into  the  world,  and  inculcated  the 
virtue  of  compassion.  Care  for  the  sick  and  poor  are 
of  its  heart  —  the  spirit  of  love,  of  resignation,  of  self- 
sacrifice,  of  its  essential  genius.  It  broke  down  the 
wall  of  partition  between  classes,  tribes,  and  states. 
Not  before  did  there  exist  upon  earth  such  a  thing  as 
international  law,  upon  which,  in  our  day,  the  whole 
frame-work  of  society  depends.  Commerce  was  born 
of  this,  and  all  that  we  count  as  progress  in  the  mate- 
rial splendor  of  nations.  She  has  likewise  proclaimed 
liberty  of  conscience,  and  she  has  added  comfort  and 
peace,  delivery  from  the  sense  of  guilt,  consciousness 
Of  pardon  through  that  ever  availing  atonement  made 
by  Christ  for  sin.  And  thus  she  has  become  the 
source  of  a  new  and  hitherto  unknown  moral  power, 
the  extent  of  which  only  the  "  dateless  and  irrevolu- 
ble  circles  of  eternity  "  will  reveal. 

What  is  more  remarkable,  Christianity  has  never 
done  otherwise  than  promote  the  wholesome  construc- 
tion of  society,  whatever  may  have  been  its  outward 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  49 

conditions,  and  however  it  may  have  tended  towards 
dissolution.  During  the  first  centuries,  when  it  cele- 
brated its  triumphs  in  the  sufferings  of  the  martyrs, 
and  its  rites  in  the  obscurity  of  the  Catacombs,  it  was 
only  preparing  a  grander  community  for  the  coming 
Rome.  Even  in  the  middle  ages,  when  feudalism  and 
ignorance  threatened  to  end  civilization,  such  as  it  was, 
in  barbarism,  it  was  Christianity,  though  obscured  by 
many  superstitions,  which  held  the  elements  of  irre- 
trievable disaster  in  check.  At  the  period  of  the 
Reformation,  when  it  appeared  that  the  revolt  from 
superstition  might  terminate  in  the  destruction  of 
society,  the  whole  movement  became  a  conserving, 
organizing  impulse,  from  whence  modern  progress  has 
sprung.  During  the  unhappy  war  which  alienated  the 
sections  of  our  beloved  country,  it  was  the  Old  Faith 
which  prevented  absolute  anarchy,  and  the  utter  wreck 
of  all  our  institutions.  It  held  us  together,  and  has 
been  the  inspiration,  if  not  the  formative  principle  of 
our  reconstruction  and  present  harmony. 

The  indispensableness  of  the  Old  Faith  to  the  order 
and  well-being  of  society  is  witnessed  to  by  impartial 
judges.  Montesquieu  exclaims  :  "  Wondrous  phenom- 
enon !  the  Christian  religion,  whose  sole  object  seems 
to  be  the  happiness  of  a  future  life,  insures  the  happi- 
ness of  the  present  life."  Ziethe  calls  attention  to 
this  saying,  and  tells  of  an  Indian  Prince  who  desired 
to  know  the  secret  of  England's  greatness,  and  to 


50  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

whom  Victoria  showed  neither  her  splendid  army  nor 
navy,  but  delivered  to  him  a  Bible,  with  the  words : 
"The  Word  of  the  Lord  is  the  secret  of  England's 
greatness."  The  well  known  saying  of  Goethe  is  in 
point,  "All  epochs  nnder  which  faith  has  prevailed, 
have  been  brilliant,  heart-elevating,  fruitful  both  to 
contemporaries  and  posterity.  All  epochs,  on  the 
contrary,  in  which  unbelief,  under  whatever  form,  has 
maintained  a  sad  supremacy,  even  if  for  the  moment 
they  glitter  with  a  false  splendor,  vanish  from  the 
memory  of  posterity,  because  none  care  to  torment 
themselves  with  the  knowledge  of  that  which  has  been 
barren."  He  adds  that  French  scholars  have  pointed 
out  the  connection  of  the  history  of  human  society 
with  religion,  and  with  the  development  of  the  idea  of 
God.  Thus  Franck  (in  "Etudes  Orientals,  1861,") 
endeavors  to  show  how  the  value  of  a  nation's  social 
constitution  is  proportional  to  the  value  of  its  religious 
idea.  "We  all  know  how  Castellar  traces  the  glory  and 
stability  of  the  United  States  to  our  fathers'  faith  in 
the  Old  Bible.  Edgar  Quinet,  in  his  lectures  at 
Lyons,  (1839,)  teaches  that  "the  religious  idea  is  the 
very  essence  of  civilization,  and  the  formative  princi- 
ple of  political  constitutions."  Benjamin  Constant 
has  taken  pains  to  mark  the  transition  to  this  opinion, 
and  what  he  says  of  Quinet  will  be  found  true  of  some 
others:  "He  projected  his  work  on  religion  in  the 
spirit  of  Atheism,"  —  note  well — "but  finished  it  by 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  51 

seeking  the  necessary  conditions  of  the  existence  of 
civilized  society  in  the  religious  sentiment."  Guizot 
declares  "  that  all  political  and  social  questions  always 
lead  to  the  religious  principle  for  their  final  solution"; 
and  Proudhon  exclaims,  "as  soon  as  we  go  deep  into 
politics,  we  always  stumble  upon  theology." 

These  testimonies  carry  with  them  the  impression 
that  the  theories  opposed  to  the  Old  Faith  must  be 
destructive  in  their  tendency — destructive  to  the 
moral  sense  and  to  the  good  order  of  society.  What 
else  is  inferable  from  such  sentiments  as  those  which 
pass  current  among  its  adversaries  ?  Take  the  Posi- 
tivist  conception  of  moral  education,  which,  according 
to  Comte,  is  the  mere  knowledge  of  facts ;  "  of  causes 
of  phenomena,  whether  past  or  final,  we  know 
nothing."  According  to  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer,  children 
should  be  made  to  experience  the  true  consequences 
of  their  conduct.  Mr.  Mill  would  have  inculcated  as 
a  leading  principle,  what  he  sets  forth  as  true  of  him- 
self in  the  sentence,  "  of  direct  power  over  my  voli- 
tions I  am  conscious  of  none."  Mr.  Bain  would  have 
education  seek  a  deliverance  from  "  the  whole  series 
of  phrases  connected  with  the  will,"  as  being  "  con- 
trived to  foster  in  us  a  feeling  of  importance"  for 
which  we  have  no  warrant.  That  is,  we  are  to  train 
our  children  morally  by  telling  them  that  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  personal  freedom  or  responsibility ;  that, 
as  Feuerbach  would  phrase  it,  "  thought  is  but  phos- 


52  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

phorous,"  that  "  as  a  man  eats,  so  he  is ; "  and  con- 
sequently that  conduct  is  but  the  result  of  forces  over 
which  we  have  no  control,  or  which  is  determined 
wholly  by  physical  qualities. 

The  premises  of  the  New  Faith  are  necessarily  fatal 
to  any  remarkable  growth  of  lofty  manhood.  Con- 
trast them  with  those  of  the  Old :  An  indefinable, 
undiscoverable  First  Cause  is  offered  the  world,  in- 
stead of  a  personal  and  holy  God;  development  of 
man  from  a  monkey  type,  instead  of  creation  by  the 
hand  of  the  Highest;  phosphorus  or  protoplasm,  or 
some  hidden  vital  principle,  as  the  source  of  human 
action,  instead  of  an  undying  spiritual  essence ;  atmos- 
pheric pressure,  or  hydrogenic  explosions,  as  the 
influencing  agencies  of  history,  instead  of  the  Holy 
Ghost;  and  death  and  the  grave  for  the  race,  instead 
of  immortality  and  the  resurrection.  Here  we  have 
the  foundations  of  the  new  ethics.  But  if  men  are 
merely  creatures  of  circumstances,  if  the  only  laws 
they  are  to  obey  are  only  those  they  cannot  disobey, 
if  society  is  the  only  God  they  are  to  worship,  and  if 
annihilation  is  the  only  destiny  they  are  to  anticipate, 
the  moral  results  of  such  a  barren  creed  cannot  be 
problematical.  It  must  contract  and  materialize  the 
nature  of  man,  repress  the  divine  that  is  in  him  and 
foster  the  animal.  Spiritual  character,  broad,  sinewy, 
strong,  can  never  spring  from  its  teachings.  Such 
men  as  came  of  the  French  Revolution,  which  was 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  53 

itself,  with  all  of  its  disorganizing  tendencies,  a  practi- 
cal phase  of  the  New  Faith ;  or  such  persons  as  Mr. 
R.  W.  Emerson  described,  in  a  lecture  on  Modern 
Thought,  as  "  the  dapper "  product  of  the  new  doc- 
trines, are  specimens  of  what  they  can  do  in  the 
direction  of  manhood. 

As  I  think  on  this  subject  I  cannot  but  recall  a 
famous  passage  in  the  writings  of  Thomas  Carlyle, 
which  suggests  a  sad  illustration  of  the  natural  bear- 
ing of  the  New  Faith.  The  grim  philosopher  quotes 
from  the  Moslem  myth  regarding  Moses  and  the 
dwellers  by  the  sea.  It  seems  a  tribe  of  men  dwelt 
on  the  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  having  "  forgotten 
the  inner  facts  of  nature,  and  taken  up  with  falsities, 
were  fallen  into  sad  conditions,  —  verging  towards  a 
certain  deeper  lake.  Whereupon  it  pleased  God  to 
send  them  Moses,  with  an  instructive  word  of  warning, 
out  of  which  would  have  sprung  remedial  measures 
not  a  few.  But  no ;  the  men  of  the  Dead  Sea  dis- 
covered no  comeliness  in  Moses,  listened  with  real 
tedium  to  him,  with  light  grinning,  or  with  splenetic 
sniffs  and  sneers,  affecting  even  to  yawns  —  and  signi- 
fied, in  short,  that  they  found  him  a  humbug,  and  even 
a  bore.  Moses  withdrew.  The  men  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
when  we  next  went  to  visit  them,  were  all  turned  into 
apes.  They  sat  on  trees,  grinning  in  the  most  un- 
affected  manner,  gibbering  and  chatting  very  genuine 
nonsense.  The  Universe  has  become  to  them  a  hum- 


54  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

bug.  Only  every  Sabbath  there  returns  to  them  a 
bewildered  half-consciousness,  half-reminiscence,  as 
they  look  out  through  those  blinking,  smoke-bleared 
eyes  of  theirs,  that  they  had  a  soul  once.  They  made 
no  use  of  their  souls,  and  so  have  lost  them." 

To  me  this  is  a  tragical  picture  of  the  tendency  of 
the  New  Faith.  The  blessed  realities  of  the  Gospel 
are  rejected,  and  men,  taught  to  sneer  at  their  own 
spirituality,  degenerate  towards  the  ape  species.  They 
chatter  or  mew  unmusically  regarding  nature,  theories 
of  evolution,  or  positive  philosophies,  and  have  only 
a  dim  consciousness  of  something  they  once  had, 
which  is  now  forever  gone.  Their  soul  is  lost  to  them. 
And  we  may  rest  assured  that  apes,  with  their  screech- 
ing and  chatter,  cannot  give  such  a  society  as  enlight- 
ened Christian  men  can  create. 

Those  who  expect  otherwise  are  fatally  deluded. 
When  not  put  to  the  strain,  when  not  tested  by  the 
trials  of  life,  the  new  doctrines  may  not  seem  to  be 
injurious,  but  they  will  prove  so  in  the  long  run,  to 
the  individual,  and  to  society  as  well.  You  may  re- 
member the  fate  which  overtook  Donaldson  and  a 
companion,  in  1876.  At  first  the  balloon,  to  which 
they  committed  themselves,  rose  majestically  in  the 
calm,  but  after  a  little  while  the  storm  struck  it,  and 
it  was  driven  wildly  over  land  and  lake.  Through 
the  darkness  of  that  night,  through  the  battle  in  the 
clouds,  they  were  borne,  only  to  perish.  Neither  came 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  55 

back,  and  only  the  dead  body  .of  the  youth,  washed 
ashore  by  the  lake,  gave  clew  to  the  mystery. 

Now,  there  are  spirits  as  reckless  as  these  adven- 
turers, who  claim  that  evil  effects  can  not  overtake 
them,  whatever  doctrines  may  .be  received,  so  long  as 
they  are  sincere.  In  this  apprehension  they  are 
wofully  mistaken.  They  forget  that  Donaldson  and 
his  associate  were  perfectly  sincere  in  believing  that 
they  could  navigate  the  aerial  ocean  in  safety,  and  yet 
their  sincerity  did  not  preserve  their  frail  vessel  from 
the  fury  of  the  storm.  And  if  they  hold  on  to  a  bag  of 
gas,  to  an  inflated  theory,  when  the  storm  tries  it,  as 
we  are  not  living  in  a  world  of  shams,  but  of  realities, 
they  will  be  dashed  to  pieces.  The  men  in  the  balloon 
were  never  in  a  position  of  more  peril,  than  are  those 
who  would  rise  heavenward  in  some  frail  machine  of 
their  own  constructing,  instead  of  ascending  the 
mystic  ladder  revealed  by  Christ,  which  leads  man 

directly  to  holy  fellowship  with  his  God. 

• 

CONCLUSION. — To  what  I  have  written  it  may  be 
answered,  the  human  mind  is  so  constituted  that  it 
craves  new  ideas,  and  new  theories.  It  cannot  satisfy 
itself  with  the  thoughts  and  beliefs  of  the  past;  it 
demands  fresh  conceptions  for  the  future.  There  is 
beyond  question  an  error  in  this  representation.  What 
the  mind  really  needs  is  something  true,  not  something 
new;  and  in  the  true,  however  old,  will  be  ever  found 


56  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

its  most  nourishing  aliment.  If  I  hand  you  a  rose 
fresh  from  the  garden,  dyed  in  nature's  richest  colors, 
and  fragrant  with  the  rarest  perfume,  with  dew-drops 
glistening  like  diamonds  on  the  leaves,  will  you  toss  it 
away  contemptuously,  exclaiming,  "the  eye  requires 
something  new  ?  "  Surely  not.  In  the  realm  of  the 
beautiful  there  is  really  nothing  new.  Its  forms  may 
be  re-produced  in  various  ways,  its  outlines  and  ex- 
pression may  be  copied  by  the  art  of  the  sculptor  or 
the  painter;  but  they  are  as  immutably  fixed  as  the 
laws  of  right  and  wrong.  The  fluidity  or  change- 
ableness  of  the  beautiful  is  only  apparent;  in  fact, 
whether  in  nature,  in  marble,  or  in  canvas  we  look 
for  it,  we  look  for  the  definite  and  immutable  proper- 
ties which  reveal  themselves  in  a  flower,  and  without 
which  the  object  contemplated  would  not  be  beautiful 
at  all.  When  the  eye  craves  satisfaction,  it  is  seeking 
for  these  permanencies ;  and  when  they  are  found,  it 
has  nothing  more  to  seek  for.  Not  the  newly  beauti- 
ful, but  the  truly  beautiful  is  its  delight.  This  prin- 
ciple is  as  applicable  to  the  spiritual  sight  as  to  the 
eye.  That  within  man  which  yearns  for  religion, 
can  only  be  satisfied  with  that  which  corresponds  to 
itself,  and  that  which  thus  corresponds  must-  abide ; 
for  were  it  to  fluctuate  or  change  essentially,  it  would 
cease  to  be  adapted  to  the  end  for  which  it  has  been 
instituted. 

A  new  religion  is  no  more  required  by  the  race, 


The  Old  Faith  and  the  New.  57 

than  a  new  world.  The  sun  that  shines  on  us  shone 
on  our  sires,  the  stars  that  gleam  upon  our  way 
gleamed  on  theirs.  Old  ocean  throbs  no  differently 
for  us  than  it  did  for  them ;  the  winds  sigh  now  as  in 
former  ages,  day  and  night  succeed  each  other,  and 
the  flowers  come  and  go  as  through  the  centuries 
which  never  can  return.  I  love  the  old  world — the 
old  earth  and  the  old  heavens,  because  they  are  old. 
To  me  they  are  made  peculiarly  sacred  by  the  thought 
that  they  surrounded  the  sages,  poets,  heroes  and 
martyrs  of  the  past.  I  tread  the  dusty  roads  they 
trod,  I  behold  the  scenes  which  charmed  them  or  in- 
spired them.  I  hear  the  sounds  which  broke  upon 
their  ear  and  chased  away  their  sense  of  solitude. 
Dear  earth!  the  footprints  of  the  noble  are  in  thy 
bosom ;  their  tears  fell  upon  thee,  and  thou  dost  trea- 
sure them  in  thy  secret  places ;  their  sighs  mingled 
with  thy  solemn  moanings,  and  thou  dost  whisper 
them  beneath  the  heavens  ;  and  their  struggles  and 
their  triumphs  stormed  across  thee,  and  though  they 
have  left  many  a  scar  upon  thy  wondrous  face,  they 
have  left  an  undying  glory  too. 

Equally  as  precious,  because  equally  sufficient  for 
all  our  needs,  is  the  Old  Faith.  Generations  of  the 
best,  of  the  purest,  of  the  truest,  have  believed  its 
doctrines,  rejoiced  in  its  promises,  breathed  its  prayers, 
hoped  for  its  victories,  and  died  in  its  assurances  of 
eternal  felicity.  Thus  let  us  live,  hope  and 


58  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

until  that  bright  day  shall  dawn  when  the  immortal 
shall  be  translated  from  the  old  realm  of  faith  to  the 
new  realm  of  sight : 


"For  when  at  last,  from  life's  dark  road, 

We  climb  heaven's  heights  serene, 
All  light  upon  the  hill  of  God 
In  God's  light  shall  be  seen. 


All  kingdoms  of  the  truth  shall  there 
To  tearless  eyes  be  shown; 

And,  dwelling  in  that  purer  air, 
We'll  know  even  as  we're  known." 


LEAEN  OF  ME. 


BY  GEORGE  ZABRISKIE  GRAY,  D.D. 


Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly 
in  heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest  for  your  souls. — Matt.  xi.  29. 


AT  the  feet  of  many  masters  have  the  children  of 
men  sat  to  gain  wisdom,  as  the  centuries  have  been 
rolling  by.  With  each  succeeding  age  has  the  num- 
ber of  those  masters  been  increasing,  for,  in  this  noble 
quest,  do  men  not  only  learn  of  those  whose  voices 
they  may  hear,  but,  allowing  no  lapse  of  time  to  rob 
them  of  their  teachers,  they  sit  at  the  feet  of  the  dead, 
as  well  as  of  the  living.  Accordingly,  to-day,  when 
the  throng  of  learners  is  greater  than  it  has  ever  been 
before,  is  the  number  of  teachers  greatest.  In  every 
land,  do  countless  students  listen  not  only  to  those  who 
lend  such  glory  to  the  present  age,  they  also  bow  be- 
fore the  utterances  of  those  whose  wisdom  these  later 
years  inherit ;  those,  whose  names,  like  monuments, 
mark  the  stages  of  the  onward  movement  of  mankind. 

But  there  is  one  teacher  who  makes  claim  to  a  greater 
deference  than  we  dare  give  to  these.  Though  it  is 

59 


60  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

long  since  he  lived  on  earth,  he  speaketh  still,  and 
speaketh  as  does  none  other  whose  articulate  voice  is 
silent.  Through  a  church  founded  by  him  to  this  end, 
and  enduring  while  the  nations  rise  and  fall,  through 
a  volume  that  embodies  his  instructions,  and  which  is 
the  only  perfect  record  of  any  teacher's  wisdom,  Jesus 
cries  to-day,  as  he  has  ever  cried :  "  Learn  of  me ! " 
Over  every  scene  of  study,  in  university  or  school,  in 
crowded  halls  or  secluded  rooms,  to  all  who  are  en- 
gaged in  the  pursuit  of  truth,  does  his  voice  ring  out: 
"  0,  ye  children  of  men,  whatever  knowledge  ye  are 
seeking,  whatever  guides  ye  follow,  be  not  content 
therewith !  Come  to  listen  unto  me,  for  I  can  teach 
you  that  which  is  better  still :  that  which  I  alone  can 
impart,  and  that  without  which  all  your  labor  is  in 
vain ! " 

And  who  is  this  Jesus  that  makes  such  a  supreme 
claim  upon  our  discipleship  ?  It  is  a  daring  thing  to 
demand  a  higher  allegiance  than  we  give  to  all  others, 
however  wise  or  good  they  be.  But  it  is  not  more 
daring  than  other  claims  he  makes.  This  same  Jesus 
said :  Love  me !  obey  me !  trust  me !  "  I  am  the  resur- 
rection and  the  life.  He  that  liveth  and  belie veth  in 
me  shall  never  die  !  "  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw 
all  men  unto  me."  "He  that  loveth  father  or  mother 
more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me."  "I  am  the  light 
of  the  world.  He  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk  in 
darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life."  In  such 


Learn  of  Me.  61 


and  many  other  like  passages,  we  behold  what  has 
been  called  a  "  sublime  egotism,"  which  demands  that 
upon  the  speaker  be  concentrated  all  the  obedience, 
all  the  affection,  all  the  homage  of  men.  But,  who 
ventures  to  ask  this  at  our  hands  ?  We  are  made  for 
God,  and  for  a  God  who  will  not  give  his  glory  to 
another.  We  should  not,  and  we  will  not,  enshrine  in 
our  hearts  any  being  but  our  Maker.  No  one  less 
than  he  is  entitled  to  our  adoration,  and  no  one  less 
than  he  shall  have  it.  And  no  one  that  ever  trod  this 
earth,  save  Jesus,  has  asked  it.  There  has  never 
been  a  sage  or  prophet  who  has  claimed  such  preroga- 
tives, because  they  have  all  known  that,  to  draw  men 
to  themselves,  is  to  draw  them  away  from  God. 
Therefore,  when  we  find  Christ  advancing  such  a  claim, 
which  no  one  else  has  advanced,  and  which  only  Deity 
has  the  right  to  advance,  we  must  either  believe  that 
he  was  the  greatest  foe  of  all  that  is  proper  as  regards 
our  moral  obligations,  or  that  he  had  the  right  to  call 
our  hearts  to  himself  because  he  is  our  God.  The 
former  alternative  is  something  that  we  cannot  admit 
regarding  one  so  holy.  Consequently,  this  "  sublime 
egotism"  compels  us  to  confess  him  divine.  Con- 
vinced, then,  that  in  him  the  Deity  dwelt  incarnate, 
because  we  cannot  believe  him  such  a  rival  of  that 
Deity  as  he  otherwise  must  be,  we,  who  follow  him,  sit 
humbly  at  his  feet  to  learn  of  him.  And  this  is  the 
reason  why  he  demands  your  discipleship,  and  your 


62  The  Gospd  Invitation. 

supreme  allegiance.  His  being  your  Lord  and  your 
God  renders  disregard  of  him  folly.  Confining  your 
study  to  other  words  than  his,  is  self-robbery,  and  a 
squandering  of  the  few  days  wherein  you  must  grow 
wise,  not  only  for  time,  but  for  eternity. 

And  what  will  Jesus  have  us  learn  of  him  ?  Did 
he  come  to  teach  us  regarding  worldly  science  ?  No ; 
herein  he  interferes  not.  He  leaves  us  to  investigate 
for  ourselves,  save  that  he  expects  that  what  he  has 
revealed  of  God's  ways  and  workings  be  accepted  as 
fundamental  truth.  To  this  extent,  we  must  subordi- 
nate even  our  secular  studies  to  his  utterances.  By 
these  disclosures,  we  must  test  the  accuracy  of  every 
conclusion  that  has  any  connection  with  the  great 
questions  of  creation  and  of  providence. 

But,  in  the  sphere  of  moral  truth,  Jesus  asserts  his 
exclusive  claim  as  a  teacher.  Here,  our  study  must  be 
begun,  continued,  and  ended  in  him.  His  precept  that 
we  are  to  learn  of  him  signifies  that  we  are  herein  to 
prosecute  our  search  with  constant  reference  to  him, 
and  in  the  light  of  his  doctrine. 

Let  us  briefly  notice,  now,  what  he  teaches  in  this 
moral  sphere ;  what  it  is  that  we  are  to  learn  of  him, 
and  of  him  alone.  And,  first,  we  will  notic'e  two 
points  which  are  more  nearly  connected  with  the  im- 
mediate idea  of  the  text. 

He  teaches  what  our  characters  should  be.  "Learn 
of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart."  Now, 


Learn  of  Me.  63 


this  is  not  the  ideal  of  character  which  accords  with 
the  usual  human  standards,  much  less  that  which  was 
admired  in  the  days  when  he  lived.  We  are  apt  to 
think,  and  society  demands,  that  we  should  be  the  re- 
verse, quick  to  assert  ourselves  and  prompt  to  resent 
indignity.  We  must  be  ready  to  vindicate  what  is 
called  our  honor,  and  retaliation  is  regarded  as  proper 
and  becoming.  Without  this  spirit,  not  a  few  will  call 
us  cowards,  and  the  world  will  be  apt  to  tread  upon 
us.  The  duel  is  widely  viewed  as  the  highest  expres- 
sion of  this  trait.  It  is  regarded  as  something  noble 
and  chivalric,  even  by  many  who  would  not  resort  to 
it.  He  who  seeks  revenge  in  its  deadly  risk  wins 
envy,  and  by  it  is  allowed  to  secure  oblivion  for  almost 
any  disgrace. 

Nor  is  this  spirit  of  meekness  and  lowliness  one  that 
promotes  the  acquisition  of  the  aims  that  men  usually 
seek :  wealth,  or  fame,  or  station.  It  is  apt  to  stand 
in  the  way  of  such  advance,  since  it  permits  the  self- 
asserting  to  push  on  when  such  a  character  would 
pause. 

Yet,  in  the  face  of  the  world's  idea  of  manliness 
and  honor,  in  the  face  of  what  is  required  by  the 
world's  competition,  Jesus  tells  us  to  be  meek  and 
lowly.  He  teaches  that  this  is  the  truest  and  loftiest 
character  —  the  one  we  should  seek  to  acquire. 

But,  is  it  not  so  ?  Think  of  the  result  of  the  adop- 
tion of  this  spirit!  Would  it  not  be  a  blessing  to 


64  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

mankind  ?  Should  we  not,  by  living  up  to  it,  be  able 
to  do  more  to  brighten  earth  than  can  be  done  by 
those  whose  standard  is  that  other  spirit,  which  the 
world  admires,  and  which  is  so  natural  to  its  devotees  ? 
If  a  rule  of  life  can  be  tested  by  its  usefulness  and 
power,  surely  then  this  one,  of  which  we  are  speaking, 
must  rank,  as  Jesus  placed  it,  higher  than  its  reverse, 
attractive  as  the  latter  may  seem  at  first  glance.  To 
be  quick  to  forgive  is  nobler  than  to  be  quick  to 
resent,  and  bravery  to  be  kind  is  a  better  example 
than  bravery  to  retaliate. 

But  the  truth  of  this  is  seen,  best  of  all,  in  the  con- 
templation of  Jesus  himself.  Where  has  there  been  a 
character  like  his  ?  On  whose  head  do  men  place  such 
crowns  of  loveliness  as  upon  his  own  ?  What  memory 
is  invested  with  such  a  spell  ?  Who  has  done  as  much 
as  he,  to  provoke  imitation  through  the  ages  that  have 
gone  ?  Who  does  not  confess  that,  in  this  sense  at 
any  rate,  his  is  the  "  name  above  every  name  ?"  Yet, 
this  is  all  because  he  was  meek  and  lowly  of  heart. 
That  is  the  secret  of  his  isolated  glory  among  the  sons 
of  men,  and  the  homage  paid  him  shows  that,  what- 
ever be  the  world's  idea  of  manliness,  it  yet  confesses 
that  its  noblest,  fullest  embodiment  demands  a  differ- 
ent spirit  than  that  of  pride.  Will  you  not  then,  you 
who  are  young,  act  upon  this,  and  remember  that  the 
life  of  him,  whom  you  confess  to  be  the  type  of  man- 
hood, proves  meekness  to  be  the  crown  of  character, 


Learn  of  Me.  65 


and  humility  the  sublimest  rule  of  action  ?  For  he, 
"when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again;  when  he 
suffered,  he  threatened  not." 

And,  again,  Jesus  teaches  what  our  lives  should  be. 
The  form  which  our  careers  should  assume  is  the  great 
question  that  meets  us  at  the  outset.  Generally,  the 
ideal  and  hope  that  are  cherished  are  eminence  and 
fame.  To  be  conspicuous,  or  what  is  called  great,  is 
the  end  for  which  all  is  shaped,  and  the  desire  that 
provokes  the  efforts  of  the  young.  But  the  Great 
Master  shows  and  tells  us  that  our  lives  should  be  the 
outflow  of  the  character  which  he  taught.  Meekness 
and  lowliness  of  mind  will  produce  living,  not  unto 
self,  but  for  God  and  man.  That  is,  they  will  result  in 
a  life,  which,  like  his  own,  is  consecrated  to  do  the 
Father's  will.  In  this  way,  should  we  mould  our  days, 
making  them  the  fulfilment  of  a  mission,  wherein  we 
tell  of  God  while  we  grow  like  him. 

But,  at  once  it  is  replied  that  this  will  not  lead  to 
success,  will  not  gain  us  wealth  or  station.  Yet,  what 
is  success  ?  Is  it  not  to  succeed  in  that  for  which  life 
is  given,  and  for  which  we  are  made  ?  And  is  not 
this  to  be  done  in  living  as  Jesus  taught  ? 

Yet,  even  in  this  same  sense  of  gaining  the  attention 
and  admiration  of  our  fellow-men,  this  is  the  surest 
mode  of  attaining  success.  Earth  ranks  its  saints  above 
its  heroes,  and  makes  shrines  of  the  tombs  of  those  who 
blessed  it,  rather  than  of  those  of  the  sages  that  taught 


66  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

it.  And  thus  has  it  occurred  that  many  a  man  and 
many  a  woman  have  made  the  world  ring  with  their 
names,  by  living  consecrated  lives,  who  would  have 
been  unknown  and  forgotten,  had  they  pursued  the 
aims  that  usually  dazzle  the  mind  of  youth  and  lead 
on  the  steps  of  age.  , 

But  we  are  to  live  such  a  life,  not  because  of  this, 
but  because  of  more  intrinsic  reasons,  and  because  he 
who  came  to  teach  us  herein  has  so  willed  it.  He 
says  it  has  the  highest  claims,  and  to  see  what  it  is  in 
its  fullness,  he  tells  us  to  learn  from  his  example. 

For,  in  both  these  respects  of  which  we  are  speak- 
ing, there  is  one  reason  why  Jesus  alone  can  teach  us. 
To  learn  what  character  and  life  should  be,  we  need 
more  than  precept,  we  require  example.  Without  this, 
all  words  are  vain.  The  most  perfect  delineation  of 
what  we  should  be,  though  given  from  heaven,  would 
be  ineffective  to  guide  us,  without  an  illustration  in 
one  who  realized  it.  This  is  what  we  find  in  Jesus. 
Where  else  may  we  look  for  example  but  to  him  ? 
He  alone  realizes  the  ideal  of  humanity,  and  his 
career  alone  teaches  us  what  our  own  should  be. 

On  the  plain  of  Baalbec,  beneath  the  snowy  peak  of 
Hermon,  there  lie  scattered  the  fragmentary  relics  of 
a  vast  structure,  which  formerly  rose  there  in  beauty. 
There  are  crumbling  walls  and  shattered  arches,  and, 
among  them,  are  seen  countless  columns,  which,  once 
lofty  and  graceful,  are  now  all  either  broken  or  pros- 


Learn  of  Me.  67 


trate —  all  save  one.  That  one  still  stands,  erect  and 
perfect  as  when  the  chisel  last  touched  it,  wielded  by 
forgotten  hands.  And,  as  from  the  side  of  Lebanon, 
the  traveler  looks  down  upon  that  wide  Syrian  plain, 
that  isolated  pillar,  rising  so  grandly  above  the  univer- 
sal ruin  of  its  fellows,  long  detains  his  gaze.  It  seems 
the  more  perfect,  because  it  is  so  solitary,  and  it 
reminds  him  of  what  the  temple  must  have  been,  of 
which  it  is  the  sole  relic  that  has  survived  the  earth- 
quake and  the  storm.  So  it  is  that,  as  we  look  out 
upon  the  plain  of  life,  which  lies  outstretched  beneath 
the  throne  of  God,  we  see  but  universal  ruin,  but  the 
wreck  of  the  temple  of  humanity.  All  the  lives  that 
compose  it  are  shattered  and  fallen,  save  one.  One, 
and  only  one,  form  rises  perfect  amidst  the  scene; 
only  one  is  untouched  by  the  storms  and  catastrophes 
of  sin ;  only  one  tells  what  man  was  and  what  man 
should  be.  And  that  is  the  form  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 
It  is  this  that  renders  him  the  only  teacher  who  can 
show  us  how  to  live,  the  only  one  to  whom  we  can 
go  to  learn  lessons  as  of  a  faultless  model. 

But  it  will  not  do  to  stop  here  in  speaking  of  what 
Jesus  inculcates.  There  are  those  who  are  fond  of 
exalting  him  as  a  teacher,  and  describe  him,  in  this 
light,  in  terms  of  admiration  to  which  he  is  justly  en- 
titled, but  who,  nevertheless,  by  a  strange  inconsist- 
ency, ignore  the  great  burden  of  his  instruction  and 
are  oblivious  of  the  chief  end  of  his  mission.  For,  to 


68  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

teach  us  regarding  life  and  character,  of  which  we 
have  spoken,  was  but  a  secondary  object  with  him. 
It  were  but  a  partial  view  of  his  work  to  confine  our 
thoughts  thereto ;  so  partial  as  to  be  false  and  mis- 
leading. His  great  teaching  was  that  he  is  the  Saviour 
of  sinners,  and  that  he  came  to  redeem  men  by  dying 
for  them.  There  are  no  more  frequent  or  plainer 
declarations  than  those  to  that  effect.  "As  Moses 
lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must 
the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up,  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 
"The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  give  his  life  a  ransom 
for  many."  Most  clearly  was  this  expressed  in  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  sacrament  by  which  he  was  to  be 
remembered.  Of  the  bread,  he  said:  "This  is  my 
body,  which  is  broken  for  you";  of  the  wine:  "This 
is  my  blood  of  the  New  Testament,  which  is  shed  for 
you  and  for  many,  for  the  remission  of  sins."  That 
is,  this  rite  shows  us  the  light  in  which  he  desired  to 
be  thought  of,  forever;  not  as  a  teacher,  but  as  a  Re- 
deemer, who  died  for  men,  that  their  sins  might  be  for- 
given upon  the  basis  of  that  death.  To  secure  for 
them,  in  this  way,  pardon  and  life  eternal,  was  the  aim 
of  his  incarnation. 

Let  this  sink  deeply  into  your  minds  and  hearts,  my 
friends.  If  you  would  learn  of  him  who  so  rightly 
calls  you  to  listen  to  him,  you  must  accept  this,  his 
supreme  doctrine.  If  you  would  make  him  your 


Learn  of  Me. 


Master,  you  must  make  him  your  Saviour.  It  is  a  mock- 
ery of  him  to  pretend  to  be  taught  by  him,  while  you  ac- 
cept but  the  lesser,  and  reject  the  greater,  truth  he  seeks 
to  impart.  Take  in  all  his  teaching,  and  thus  will  you 
know  how  to  live  here,  and  how  to  gain  life  hereafter. 
And,  in  closing,  Jesus  says  regarding  all  his  teach- 
ing, that  by  it  "  you  shall  find  rest  for  your  souls,"  or, 
as  we  may  also  read  it,  "  repose  for  your  lives."  This 
is  what  renders  it  the  best  of  all  learning,  and  makes 
it  true  that  there  is  no  wisdom  like  that  which  he 
gives.  For,  rest  is  what  we  need  more  than  anything 
else,  in  a  world  like  this.  Peace  of  mind,  calmness, 
fearlessness  of  what  surrounds  us,  and  of  what  is  be- 
fore us,  serene  superiority  to  anxiety — this  is  the 
most  precious  of  acquisitions  for  you  and  me.  Above 
all,  is  this  precious  in  the  crises  of  life,  the  emergen- 
cies which  its  vicissitudes  bring.  Yet,  nothing  can 
give  this  but  the  teaching  of  Jesus.  Other  learning 
has  its  value  and  its  pleasures.  It  can  do  much  for  us 
when  the  skies  are  clear  and  when  all  is  well.  But  it 
can  do  nothing  for  us  when  the  skies  are  clouded, 
when  the  heart  is  heavy  and  the  dark  mountains  are 
near.  For,  such  days  must  come,  sooner  or  later,  to 
all  of  us;  days  when  life's  burdens  are  heavy  and  its 
cares  severe ;  when  sickness  enfeebles  the  frame,  or 
bereavement  endues  every  landscape  with  gloom ; 
when  the  brightness  of  earth  is  gone,  and,  of  all  its 
gifts,  the  heart  says :  "  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them  "  — 


70  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

days,  when  age  has  whitened  the  hair  and  bowed  the 
once  vigorous  form ;  when  eternity  is  close  at  hand 
and  the  great  veil  begins  to  rise,  so  solemnly,  for  us  to 
pass  through.  In  such  days,  what  other  teachers  shall 
have  told  you  will  have  no  more  the  charm  it  may 
now  possess ;  you  will  no  more  pursue  with  interest 
what  had  erst  led  you  so  alluringly  onward.  Only 
that  will  then  be  prized  which  will  enable  you  to  en- 
dure, and  keep  your  souls  at  rest.  And  that  is  what 
Jesus  tells  us  of  himself  and  his  salvation. 

Therefore  is  all  preparation  for  life  incomplete  and 
inadequate  which  does  not  include  such  learning.  It 
is  vain  for  you  to  imagine  you  are  qualified  for  the  ex- 
periences you  must  meet,  if  you  are  not  a  disciple  of  ' 
Christ.  You  are,  in  this  case,  but  advancing  to  sor- 
row, challenging  adverse  circumstances  but  to  be 
defeated,  going  out  but  to  encounter  trials  wherein 
you  will  have  no  peace.  But,  begin  at  once  to  study 
the  Gospel,  wherein  your  Saviour's  words  and  work  are 
so  perfectly  recorded,  and  there  will  you  gain  all  that 
he  imparts  to  those  who  submit  to  his  instruction.  Do 
this,  and  you  will  find,  as  others  have  found  who  have 
trodden  life's  stern  path  before  you,  that,  in  coming 
years,  when  care  and  disappointment  have  taken  away 
the  halo  of  the  gilded  present,  you  will  hold  as  the 
dearest  and  the  best,  not  the  knowledge  you  will  have 
received  from  human  masters,  but  that  which  you  will 
have  learned  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 


THE  SEPARATION  OF  THE  SOUL  FEOI  GOD, 


BY  W.    F.    MALLALIETJ,   D.  D. 


Behold, the  Lord's  hand  is  not  shortened,  that  it  cannot  save;  neither  his 
ear  heavy,  that  it  cannot  hear.  But  your  iniquities  have  separated  between 
you  and  your  God,  and  your  sins  have  hid  his  face  from  you,  that  he  will  not 
hear. — Isaiah  lix.  1,  2. 


I  ASK  your  serious  and  prayerful  attention  to  these 
three  thoughts  derived  from  the  text : 

1.  The  separation  of  the  soul  from  God; 

2.  The  causes  of  this  separation ;  and, 

3.  The  consequences  of  such  separation. 

It  is  seen  at  once  that  it  is  impossible  for  the  soul  to 
be  separate  from  God,  in  the  sense  of  being  remote  or 
distant  from  him.  God  is  omnipresent,  and  wherever 
the  soul  may  be,  still  God  is  there.  God  is  in  the 
heights  of  heaven,  and  in  the  depths  of  hell ;  he  is  in 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  and  the  most  distant 
island  of  the  sea  ;  and  if  the  soul  could  flee  away  for- 
ever on  the  wings  of  the  morning,  it  could  never 
escape  the  surrounding  presence  of  God.  He  is  not 
only  everywhere,  but  he  fills  immensity,  so  that  the 

71 


72  The  Gospd  Invitation. 

universe  and  all  space  is  pervaded  with  God.  Im- 
mensity, and  space,  and  distance,  are  all  alike  to  him, 
who,  in  the  perfection  of  his  nature,  surrounds  all 
space  and  fills  every  point,  without  absence  and  with- 
out change. 

More  than  this,  God  is  present  to  know  and  remem- 
ber, for  the  purposes  of  judgment  and  retribution,  the 
unhallowed  thoughts,  and  words,  and  deeds,  of  every 
soul  of  man.  If  there  be  any  place  in  all  the  universe 
where  men  are  inclined  to  believe  that  God  cannot 
enter,  it  is  the  silent,  secret  chambers  of  the  soul. 
Because  it  is  possible  to  conceal  our  inmost  thoughts 
from  our  fellow-men,  we  are  inclined  to  think  they 
may  be  concealed  from  God ;  because  we  can  shut 
ourselves  up  within  ourselves  and  keep  the  world  out- 
side, we  may  and  do  sometimes  fancy  that  we  can 
close  the  approaches  of  the  soul  to  God. 

But  the  real  truth  is,  God  is  so  near  to  us,  and  is  so 
watchful  of  all  we  do,  that  we  never  perform  an 
action,  however  slight  it  may  be,  without  the  direct 
cognizance  of  God.  And  from  the  first  word  we  ever 
lisped  up  to  the  last  utterance  of  our  lips,  whether 
those  words  have  been  words  of  love  or  strife,  whether 
of  complaining  or  thanksgiving,  whether  of  cursing  or 
blessing,  every  word  we  have  ever  uttered  has  been 
heard  of  God,  and  they  are  all  remembered. 

The  worst  part  of  every  one's  life  is  in  his  thoughts. 
No  one  has  ever  done  as  wickedly  as  he  has  thought. 


Separation  of  the  Soul  from  God.  73 

The  last  thing  that  any  one  of  us  would  wish  to  have 
made  known  to  the  world  would  be  the  thoughts 
which  have  been  in  our  minds  since  first  we  were  con- 
scious of  thought.  Men  cover  them  up  and  keep 
them  out  of  sight,  and  repress  them,  and  to  a  very 
great  extent  conceal  them,  and  they  sometimes  imag- 
ine that  there  is  no  being  in  the  universe  that  kno'ws 
anything  about  what  is  going  on  within  the  innermost 
soul.  Men  turn  down  the  lights,  or  put  them  out  alto- 
gether, draw  the  curtains,  and  close  tight  the  shutters, 
and  sit  down  with  their  thoughts  in  the  darkness. 
They  know  that  no  angel  can  enter  and  intrude  upon 
their  privacy,  that  no  human  being  living  or  dead  can 
reach  them  in  their  seclusion,  and  they  dream  that 
they  are  alone.  But  they  forgot  when  they  closed  the 
doors,  and  put  out  the  light,  and  drew  the  curtains, 
and  closed  the  shutters,  that  God  was  inside  with  them 
all  the  time,  and  they  forgot  that  the  darkness  and  the 
light  are  alike  to  him;  and  there  he  is  in  the  very 
secret  place  of  the  soul,  and  he  knows  every  thought, 
and  knows  it  with  all  the  infinite  perfection  of  his 
omniscience,  and  knows  it  to  remember  it,  and  knows 
it  to  approve  or  to  condemn. 

0  that  this  solemn,  awful  thought  might  abide  with 
us,  that  God  is  absolutely  and  constantly  near  to  every 
soul,  searching  our  hearts,  and  knowing  us  better  even 
than  we  know  ourselves. 

Hence  we  see  that  the  separation  of  the  soul  from 

E* 


74  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

God,  which  is  spoken  of  in  the  text,  is  not  that  of  dis- 
tance, but  rather  a  moral  separation.  The  soul  that 
is  separate  from  God  is  unlike  God  in  the  very  nature 
and  essence  of  its  moral  constitution. 

God  is  a  being  of  infinite  purity  and  holiness.  In 
him  there  is  not  the  slightest  stain  of  impurity  in  any 
respect,  there  never  has  been  in  all  the  eternity  of  the 
past,  and  there  never  will  be  in  all  the  eternity  that  is 
to  come.  From  everlasting  to  everlasting,  this  free- 
dom from  all  impurity  has  been,  and  will  be,  the  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic  of  God.  It  is  also  true  of 
him  that  there  is  no  degree  of  imperfection  which 
attaches  itself  to  the  divine  nature.  Purity  is  possible, 
and  still  there  may  not  be  absolutely  no  imperfection. 
Of  God  alone  can  it  be  said  that  he  is  absolutely  and 
infinitely  perfect  in  all  the  attributes  of  his  nature. 
66  In  him  there  can  be  no  malice,  or  envy,  or  hatred,  or 
revenge,  or  pride,  or  cruelty,  or  tyranny,  or. injustice, 
or  falsehood,  or  unfaithfulness ;  and  if  there  be  any- 
thing besides  which  implies  sin,  and  vice,  and  moral 
imperfection,  holiness  and  purity,  as  applied  to  God, 
signify  that  the  divine  nature  is  at  an  infinite  distance 
from  it." 

But  it  is  not  sufficient  to  say  of  God  that  he  is 
devoid  of  all  impurity,  and  all  imperfections,  and  all 
unholiness,  for  this  is  but  a  negative  statement  of  the 
facts  in  the  case.  It  is  equally  true  that  God  is 
infinitely  pure,  and  perfect,  and  holy.  In  all  his 


Separation  of  the  Soul  from  God.  75 

volitions,  in  the  exercise  of  his  compassion,  his  mercy, 
his  pity,  his  goodness,  his  wisdom,  his  faithfulness,  his 
justice,  and  in  every  other  namable  and  unnamable 
attribute  of  his  nature,  and  in  the  very  essence  of  his 
nature,  he  is  infinitely  pure,  and  perfect,  and  holy ; 
and  this  to  such  a  degree,  and  in  such  an  absolute 
sense,  that  we  cannot  express  it  in  human  language, 
nor  fathom  the  fullness  of  its  significance,  though  we 
were  possessed  of  the  sublimest  intellect  ever  created 
in  earth  or  heaven.  Now,  then,  when  we  find  a  soul 
that  is  unlike  God  in  these  respects,  we  shall  find  one 
that  is  separate  from  him. 

There  is  no  uncreated  being  but  God  in  the  uni- 
verse, and  there  can  be  no  other  being  that  is  infi- 
nite in  all  his  perfections ;  in  this  sense  there  will 
always  be  an  infinite  distance  between  the  created  and 
the  uncreated.  But  in  respect  to  purity  and. holiness, 
we  may  readily  perceive  that  the  creature  may  pos- 
sess these  qualities.  If  he  does  possess  them,  then  he 
is  near  to  God  and  God  is  near  to  him.  But  the  sad 
truth  is  that  man  is  fallen  and  he  does  not  manifest 
these  characteristics.  He  is  impure  in  his  thoughts, 
and  perverse  in  his  volitions.  His  heart  is  full  of 
envy,  and  malice,  and  pride,  and  revenge,  and  cruelty, 
and  lust,  and  falsehood,  and  unfaithfulness,  and  of 
every  evil  passion,  propensity  and  desire,  so  that  the 
very  sources  of  thought  and  feeling  and  action  are 
thoroughly  corrupt  and  unholy. 


76  Hie  Gospel  Invitation. 

The  result  is,  that  the  soul  in  its  nature  is  removed 
from  God  almost  as  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west, 
and  it  is  a  wonder  of  mercy  and  love  and  power  that 
ever  a  reunion  can  be  effected.  The  separation 
spoken  of  in  the  text  not  only  involves  this  unlike- 
ness  of  nature,  but  also  an  equally  great  dissimilarity 
in  the  things  that  are  loved  by  God  and  the  soul. 

God  loves  everything  that  is  pure  and  holy  and 
good,  and  he  hates  whatever  is  not.  He  loves  rights 
eousness,  and  goodness,  and  virtue,  and  truth,  and  in- 
tegrity, and  everything  that  is  excellent,  and  hates 
the  opposites  ;  while  the  soul  that  is  separate  from 
God  hates  all  those  things  that  God  loves,  and  loves 
all  the  things  that  God  hates.  Nor  may  we  wisely 
flatter  ourselves  that  these  things  are  not  true  of 
fallen  human  nature,  for  there  are  the  best  reasons  for 
supposing  that  it  takes  the  fear  of  punishment,  the 
restraints  of  society,  and  the  gracious  influences  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  to  prevent  the  turbulent  passions  of 
depraved  hearts  from  blasting  with  the  hot  breath  of 
hell,  even  to  utter  destruction,  every  loving  and  holy 
thing  that  glorifies  redeemed  humanity. 

II.  We  come  now  to  inquire  as  to  the  causes  of  this 
separation  of  the  soul  from  God. 

I  love  to  think  of  every  new-born  child,  of  every 
little  babe,  that  it  is  very  near  to  God.  I  am  glad  for 
the  faith  I  have  that  "  heaven  lies  all  about  us  in  our 
infancy."  I  believe  that  it  is  true  that  each  little 


Separation  of  the  Soul  from  God.  77 

child  is  "a  new,  sweet  blossom  of  humanity,  fresh 
fallen  from  God's  own  home  to  flower  on  earth." 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  ruin  of  the  fall,  and 
the  corruption  of  the  race,  the  all-embracing  work  of 
Christ  for  the  salvation  of  mankind  has  put  all  chil- 
dren into  a  position  where  the  Saviour  himself  might 
say  of  them,  "Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto 
me  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
God." 

Our  first  parents  were  near  to  God.  They  held 
intimate  personal  communion  with  him.  He  daily  re- 
vealed himself  to  them  amid  the  bowers  of  Eden. 
There  was  no  sense  of  separation  from  God  felt  by  the 
sinless  .pair.  But  the  tempter  entered  that  abode  of 
purity  and  love,  and  in  an  evil  hour  temptation  was 
yielded  to,  and  the  holy  and  righteous  law  of  God  was 
violated,  and  sin  entered  the  world.  How  great  the 
change !  God  was  no  longer  a  welcome  and  desired 
visitant,  but  the  guilty  ones  fled  from  his  presence  and 
hid  themselves  in  the  vain  purpose  to  put  themselves 
where  God  could  not  find  them.  In  their  loves  and 
hates,  in  their  natures,  all  had  changed,  and  sin  had 
caused  the  change — sin  had  separated  them  from  God. 

Now,  whatever  theory  of  the  effects  of  the  fall  one 
may  adopt,  the  first  sin  of  childhood  leaves  us  amid 
surroundings  which,  if  yielded  to,  will  draw  us  more 
and  more  away  from  God.  Every  added  sin  increases 
the  distance,  until  we  find  that  the  moral  separation 


78  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

between  the  soul  and  God  is  but  little  short  of  an  im- 
passable gulf,  and  it  would  be  impassable  forever  had 
it  not  been  bridged  by  the  infinite  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  effect  of  sin  upon  the  soul  is  of  the  most  de- 
structive character,  and  perhaps  in  no  respect  is  it 
more  clearly  seen  than  in  the  fact  that  it  separates 
the  soul  from  God.  God  is  the  source  of  all  the  good 
that  any  of  his  creatures  ever  enjoy.  All  mercies, 
gifts  and  graces  come  from  him,  and  every  sin  in- 
dulged in  separates  us  further  and  further  from  this 
inexhaustible  source  of  blessing.  Every  year,  every 
day,  every  hour  we  become  more  and  more  unlike 
God  in  all  the  attributes  of  our  moral  nature ;  we 
gradually  lose  our  sympathy  for  his  plans  and  pur- 
poses, and  come  at  last  to  despise  his  law,  and  then 
we  hate  the  Lawgiver,  and  our  rebellious  wills  rise  up, 
and  we  say  in  our  hearts  and  actions,  if  not  in  words, 
we  will  not  have  him  reign  over  us. 

It  is  said  that  a  celebrated  painter  once  wished  to 
portray  upon  canvas  the  contrast  which  exists  between 
innocence  and  guilt  as  manifest  in  the  countenance  of 
a  little  child  and  a  hardened,  imbruted  criminal. 

After  diligent  search  he  found  a  little  child  which 
seemed  to  him  the  most  beautiful  and  perfect  embodi- 
ment of  purity  and  innocence  he  had  ever  seen.  Its 
form  was  faultless ;  its  wavy  tresses  kissed  by  the  sun- 
light were  perfect;  its  complexion  was  clear  and  rosy; 


Separation  of  the  Soul  from  God.  79 

its  eyes'  were  large  and  lustrous ;  its  lips  were  perfect 
in  outline  and  overflowing  with  sweet  prattling  words ; 
its  forehead  was  full,  broad  and  white ;  in  fact,  every 
feature,  as  well  as  the  complete  expression,  was  radiant 
with  almost  more  than  mortal  loveliness. 

With  the  greatest  care  the  painter  transferred  the 
face  to  his  canvas  and  hung  it  up  in  his  studio  until 
he  should  find  its  opposite. 

For  years  he  sought  in  all  directions  for  a  face  that 
should  comprise  everything  hideous  and  hateful.  He 
went  among  the  poorest  and  the  outcast  of  great 
cities ;  he  visited  the  haunts  of  infamy  and  vice  for  a 
face  that  should  form  a  perfect  contrast  to  that  of  the 
little  child.  Success  at  last  crowned  his  efforts,  for 
with  true  artistic  delight  he  one  day  discovered  in  a 
prison  a  face  which  completely  met  his  ideal.  It  was 
the  face  of  a  felon  chained  to  the  floor  of  the  dungeon, 
where,  for  the  most  appalling  crimes,  he  was  to  be 
confined  until  his  trial.  He  was  young  in  years  and 
yet  he  looked  like  an  old  man,  for  his  form  was  bowed 
and  tremulous,  the  result  of  unbridled  debaucheries; 
his  hair  and  beard  were  long,  and  matted,  and  filthy; 
his  lips  were  purple  and  swollen,  and  his  mouth  was 
full  of  cursing;  his  eyelids  were  corroded,  and  his 
eyes  were  bleared  and  bloodshot;  his  brows  were 
coarse,  and  rough,  and  long;  his  forehead  was  wrin- 
kled and  furrowed  with  deep  lines  of  sin  and  shame ; 
in  short,  the  face  was  that  of  a  young  man  who,  by  a 


80  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

career  of  vice,  had  destroyed  his  manhood  and  made 
himself  as  hideous  to  behold  as  though  he  had  been 
taken  possession  of  by  a  legion  of  devils. 

In  due  time  the  painter  prepared  for  his  work,  but 
strange  to  tell,  ere  the  task  was  accomplished  he 
learned  that  the  young  man  before  him  was  the  iden- 
tical person  whose  childish  portrait  he  had  kept  hang- 
ing in  his  studio  for  so  many  years. 

It  was  sin  that  had  separated  this  young  man  from 
his  pure,  sweet,  holy  childhood;  it  was  sin  that  had 
swept  him  out,  away  from  his  mother's  arms,  and  his 
home  of  love,  and  his  hopes  of  life  and  heaven,  out 
into  the  storm,  and  the  darkness,  and  the  horrible  tem- 
pests of  lust  and  crime,  until  he  was  as  far  from  his 
own  cradle-innocence  as  the  flame-encircled  gates  of 
hell  are  far  away  from  the  glorious  pearly  portals  of 
the  city  of  God. 

Just  this  terrible  effect  sin  will  have  upon  the  soul 
if  it  be  cherished  in  any  heart.  It  obliterates  all  lines 
of  spiritual  beauty;  it  destroys  the  moral  likeness  of 
the  soul  to  its  Creator ;  it  causes  the  soul  to  become 
more  and  more  like  the  lost  and  rebellious  spirits 
which  once  shone  in  brightness  and  purity  before  the 
throne,  but  are  now  sunk  to  the  utter  depths  of  hope- 
less wreck  and  ruin;  it  crowds  the  soul  away  from 
light  and  life  and  joy,  away  from  the  Cross  and  the 
Crucified,  into  the  outer  blackness  and  midnight  of 
despair ;  it  separates  the  soul  from  God. 


Separation  of  the  Soul  from  God.  81 

I  know  the  unconverted,  surrounded  by  all  the 
gracious  influences  of  Christian  society,  and  still  sus- 
ceptible to  the  powerful  attractions  of  Calvary,  may 
be  inclined  to  say  that  the  sins  they  have  com- 
mitted cannot  cause  such  a  complete  separation  from 
all  good.  But  why  not  ?  All  sin,  when  it  is  fin- 
ished, bringeth  forth  death.  The  nature  of  all  sin, 
its  real  essence,  is  the  same;  it  is  a  refusal  to  do  the 
will  of  God. 

Suppose  you  do  not  swear;  suppose  you  are  not 
dishonest;  suppose  you  have  not  broken  the  letter  of 
one  of  the  Commandments  of  the  Decalogue;  suppose 
for  the  sake  of  friends,  and  children,  and  other  rela- 
tives, and  for  your  own  sake,  you  have  so  conducted 
that  no  blemish  has  ever  rested  upon  your  character, 
and  you  have  gained  and  now  enjoy  the  confidence  of 
all  who  know  you:  it  does  not  therefore  follow  that 
you  are  united  to  God,  and  that  you  dwell  in  him,  and 
that  he  abides  in  you.  With  all  this,  in  your  hearts 
you  may  be  rejecters  of  God.  You  may  be  neglecters 
of  his  Word;  you  may  turn  away  from  the  inspired 
volume  and  deny  its  claims,  without  ever  having  given 
a  single  week  of  all  your  lives  to  the  serious  and  sober 
investigation  of  those  claims. 

You  may  rest  assured  that  such  a  course  as  this  will 
separate  your  souls  from  God.  It  may  not  be  your 
deliberate  purpose  to  cut  yourselves  loose  from  the 
divine  and  heavenly  attractions,  but  still  I  pray 


82  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

to  understand  that  no  surer  method  of  doing  so  can 
be  taken  than  that  you  are  pursuing. 

Perhaps  I  am  appealing  to  some  not  guilty  of  out- 
breaking sins,  who  are  nevertheless  indulging  in  some 
passions,  desires,  or  ambitions,  which  are  opposed  to 
fellowship  with  God.  Each  one  must  know  just  what 
the  difficulty  is,  and  it  is  manifest  that  it  is  the  very 
thing  which  in  time  past  has  kept  you  from  God. 
You  may  love  riches,  and  are  too  eager  to  gain  them 
to  be  strictly  honest;  you  love  worldly  pleasures,  and 
you  know  not  how  you  can  give  them  up,  and  yet  you 
know  that  you  must  sacrifice  them  or  you  can  never 
come  into  sweet  communion  with  your  Heavenly 
Father ;  or  you  may  be  cherishing  wrong  feelings ; 
there  may  be  pride,  or  wrath,  or  revenge,  or  envy,  or 
malice,  in  your  heart,  and  while  this  is  so  you  know 
your  prayers  even  are  all  in  vain,  and  yet  you  refuse 
to  yield  to  your  convictions  of  right  and  duty,  while 
all  the  time  you  are  drifting  away  from  God.  These 
evil  propensities  and  passions  of  the  unregenerate 
nature  have  a  terrible  affinity  with  the  spirits  of  dark- 
ness and  death,  and  they  will  drag  down  to  perdi- 
tion any  soul  who  clings  to  them. 

0,  my  unconverted  readers,  why  will  you  not  to-day 
bring  out  these  idols  which  keep  you  from  God  and 
his  love,  and  destroy  them.  Say  to  pride,  and  anger, 
and  wrath,  and  malice,  and  envy,  and  revenge,  "  Ye 
shall  be  dethroned,  ye  shall  die;"  say  to  the  lust  for 


Separation  of  the  Soul  from  God.  83 

vain  and  sinful  pleasures,  and  to  the  greedy  desire  for 
gain,  "  Ye  too  shall  die ; "  say  to  carelessness,  and  in- 
difference, and  sloth,  and  every  rebellious  feeling  of 
the  heart,  "Ye  too  shall  die;"  and  then  from  the  very 
depths  of  your  souls,  cry  out — 


"Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee;  nearer  to  thee, 
E'en  though  it  be  a  cross  that  raiseth  me." 


And  I  tell  you,  you  shall  feel  a  glorious  thrill  of  joy 
filling  your  souls  as  you  realize  that  the  sins  which 
separated  you  from  God,  and  the  iniquities  that  hid 
his  face  from  you,  have  all  been  pardoned,  and  you  are 
resting  in  the  divine  love. 

III.  What  are  the  consequences  of  this  separation 
from  God? 

First  of  all,  the  spiritual  life  of  the  soul  is  extin- 
guished, and  insensibility  and  death  ensue. 

It  is  not  many  years  since  I  accompanied  a  young 
man  to  the  Boston  and  Maine  depot,  as  he  was  about 
to  leave  the  city  for  his  distant  home  in  the  country. 
Coming  here  when  a  boy  only  thirteen  or  fourteen 
years  of  age,  one  of  a  large  family  of  children,  and 
with  a  very  scanty  wardrobe,  and  scarcely  more 
money  than  enough  to  bring  him  to  the  city,  he  soon 
found  himself  without  means,  without  employment, 
and  without  friends.  But  he  would  not  be  discour- 
aged, for  he  had  come  from  his  rural  home  to  seek  his 
fortune,  and  with  visions  of  future  wealth  as  the 


84  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

inspiration  of  his  soul.  Day  after  day  he  spent  in 
looking  for  a  situation,  and  night  after  night  he  slept 
in  a  hogshead,  in  which  was  a  little  straw,  until  at 
length  he  secured  a  place  as  errand  boy  in  a  retail 
store. 

A  more  diligent  and  faithful  boy  was  never  known  ; 
early  and  late  he  toiled,  and  soon  gained  the  good-will 
of  his  employers,  and  was  rapidly  advanced,  until,  in  a 
few  years,  he  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  with  every 
prospect  that  the  dreams  of  his  youth  would  be  real- 
ized. But,  by  improper  exposure,  he  took  cold ;  the 
cold  was  followed  by  a  cough;  then  came  debility  and 
emaciation.  Kind  friends  warned  him  of  his  danger 
at  every  step  of  the  disease,  and  well  do  I  remember 
that  many  a  time,  in  his  store  and  elsewhere,  I  urged 
him  to  leave  his  business,  and  take  the  rest  and  recrea- 
tion he  so  much  needed,  only  to  be  answered,  with  a 
pleasant  smile,  that  he  was  young  and  strong,  and  that 
the  little  cold  that  was  troubling  him  would  soon  be 
gone;  he  would  drive  it  off,  and  all  would  be  well. 
But  it  was  not  to  be  conquered  in  this  way,  and  so  it 
went  steadily  on  its  course.  Strength  was  gone,  and 
appetite  was  gone,  and  vigor  and  elasticity  were  gone, 
and  with  a  sad  interest  I  saw  him  tearfully  leave  the 
place  where,  for  half  his  life-time,  he  had  toiled  to  win 
the  success  he  had  so  ardently  desired.  Only  a  few 
days  after  arid  I  saw  him  in  the  cars,  and  as  I  left  him 
I  put  my  arms  around  his  neck,  and  bade  him  a  last 


Separation  of  the  Soul  from  God.  85 

farewell ;  for  I  knew  I  should  see  him  no  more  on 
earth,  for  he  was  even  then  a  dying  man,  just  able  to 
go  home  to  his  father  and  mother,  that  he  might  look 
once  more  on  the  familiar  scenes  of  his  childhood,  and 
then  let  the  loved  ones  close  his  eyes  and  bury  him  in 
the  quiet  village  grave-yard.  Before  he  would  take 
rest,  or  use  the  proper  remedy,  or  consult  the  skillful 
physician,  he  had  gone  so  far  that  all  human  hands 
were  too  short  to  reach  and  save  him,  and  however 
full  of  sympathy  may  have  been  the  hearts  of  his 
many  friends,  yet  all  his  appeals  for  help  must  have 
been  without  avail. 

He  did,  in  regard  to  his  bodily  health,  just  what  so 
many  are  doing  in  regard  to  their  spiritual  well-being. 
In  his  case,  death  was  the  consequence  of  his  neglect; 
and  so  the  soul  that  separates  itself  from  God  by  out- 
breaking sin,  or  by  carelessness  and  indifference,  will 
find,  when  it  is  all  too  late,  that  the  soul  must  die  out- 
side the  reach  of  the  boundless  mercy  and  love  of  God. 

Again,  the  soul  that  is  separate  from  God  will  miss 
forever  the  eternal  revelation  which  God  will  make  of 
himself  to  all  who  love  him.  In  all  the  realms  of 
thought  and  being,  there  will  be  to  the  outcast  sinner 
no  manifestation  of  the  divine  benignity.  He  may 
gaze  Godward,  but  never  will  he  see  light,  never  a 
smile  of  recognition,  never  an  uplifting  of  the  clouds 
and  darkness  that  hide  the  awful  throne  of  the  majesty 
of  God. 


86  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

The  saved  will  see  Christ,  and  his  glory  will  be 
shared  by  them;  they  will  find  in  Christ  the  eternal 
satisfaction  of  every  immortal  aspiration ;  they  will 
walk  with  him  in  white,  and  join  with  cherubim,  and 
seraphim,  and  angels,  and  archangels,  in  the  peans  of 
love  and  victory  that  all  heaven  is  waiting  to  hear,  and 
which  will  be  heard  throughout  the  universe,  even  to 
the  depths  of  the  nethermost  hell,  when  all  the  saints 
are  safely  gathered  to  their  eternal  home. 

The  last  revelation  of  Christ  to  the  soul  that  is 
separated  from  God  will  be  that  of  the  judgment 
seat,  when  the  crucified  Eedeemer  shall  say  to  those 
on  his  left  hand:  "Depart,  ye  cursed,  into  everlast- 
ing fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels."  This 
last  vision  of  Christ,  and  the  soul,  separated  from  God, 
turns  away  from  the  throne,  and  sinks  into  the  depths 
of  that  fathomless  outer  darkness  from  whence  there 
is  no  escape,  no  return,  no  deliverance.  To  be  sepa- 
rate from  God  is  to  lose  all  the  bliss  and  glory  of 
heaven ;  it  is  to  experience  the  misery  of  the  lost  in 
hell. 

0  that  the  Divine  Spirit  might  impress  upon  every 
soul  still  separated  from  God,  whose  eyes  shall  rest 
upon  this  page,  that  this  is  a  day  of  hope.  The 
Heavenly  Father  calls  his  wandering  children  home. 
Will  you  come  ?  Will  you  all  come  ?  Will  you  come 
now?  The  time  is  very  short  in  which  life's  great 
work  can  be  done.  So  much  of  probation  has  already 


Separation  of  the  Soul  from  God.  87 

run  to  waste,  that  the  greatest  diligence  and  care  must 
be  employed,  or  death  will  find  you  so  far  removed 
from  God  that  hope  and  mercy  can  never  reach  you. 
Every  moment's  delay  in  sin  thickens  the  cloud  which 
now  but  partially  obscures  the  face  of  God.  Every 
new  refusal  to  accept  the  offers  of  divine  love  builds 
up  a  thicker  wall  of  separation  between  your  souls 
and  God.  Every  new  transgression,  every  cherished 
sin,  increases  the  distance  between  the  sinner  and  the 
Saviour. 

0  sinner !  0  precious  soul,  bought  with  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ!  You  are  building  up  an  impassable 
barrier,  which  will  shut  you  out  of  heaven.  Your 
sins,  if  they  are  persisted  in,  will  drive  you  to  that 
world  of  joyless  sorrow  and  hopeless  despair,  from 
whence  the  ear  of  the  omnipresent  God  cannot  hear 
your  cry  for  mercy,  and  from  whence  the  arm  of  the 
omnipotent  Jehovah  cannot  save  you. 


THE  DECAY  OF  WILL 


BY  REV.    S.    E.    HEEBICK. 


I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father. — Luke  xv.  18. 

THIS  word  "I  will"  was  the  definite  starting-point 
of  a  new  life.  The  young  man's  promptitude  saved 
him. 

Into  some  courses  of  prosperity  men  come  without 
any  conscious  effort  of  the  will  to  do  so.  Men  are 
sometimes  borne  upon  the  current  of  circumstances 
towards  wealth  and  honor.  Some  are  born  to  great- 
ness, and  some  have  it  thrust  upon  them.  Paupers 
have  been  known  to  inherit  splendid  fortunes.  But 
the  new  life  of  a  Christian  man  has  its  beginning  in  a 
single  determinative  movement. 

In  saying  this,  I  do  not  ignore  what  Christ  has  said 
about  the  "drawing"  of  the  Father.  I  do  not  ignore 
the  fact  that  heavenly  influences  are  secretly  brought 
to  bear,  and  that  there  may  be  a  preparation  of  the 
way  with  which  the  man  himself  has  had  nothing  to 
do.  But,  so  far  as  he  is  concerned,  there  is  an  initial 

88 


The  Decay  of  Will  89 

"I  will."  There  is  a  movement  of  sharp  decision 
which  cuts  off,  at  once  and  forever,  the  past  from  the 
future.  There  is  the  turning  of  a  new  leaf,  the 
making  of  a  sharp  corner  in  the  life  course.  The  act 
is  as  definite  as  that  by  which  a  merchant  sets  his 
hand  to  the  paper  which  terminates  a  long-standing 
partnership  and  begins  a  new  one. 

That  which  gives  man  all  his  manliness,  and  that 
which  makes  it  possible  for  him  to  be  like  God,  is  the 
power  to  say,  "I  will."  It  has  been  defined  as  "the 
power  of  self-cohesion,  or  the  power  to  resist  changes 
which  take  place  outside  of  us."  I  borrow  from  the 
late  Dr.  Sears  an  illustration  which  makes  this  clear. 
"If  you  take  a  ball  of  snow  and  toss  it  into  the 
stream,  you  will  witness  a  rapid  disintegration  of  the 
mass.  It  grows  less  and  less,  till  it  assimilates  to  the 
surrounding  substance  and  disappears.  But  if  you 
take  a  piece  of  quartz  and  throw  that  into  the  water, 
you  observe  that  it  sinks  down  to  the  sandy  bottom 
and  lies  there.  The  waves  beat  over  it  year  after 
year,  and  it  loses  no  whit  of  its  integrity,  but  remains 
an  insoluble  element  in  the  waves.  So  let  one  man  be 
plunged  into  the  current  of  human  society,  and  you 
will  see  by  and  by  that  society  draws  out  of  him  all 
that  was  positive  and  absorbs  it.  The  stream  washes 
out  of  him  all  his  individuality.  His  opinions,  tastes, 
sentiments,  prejudices,  loves  and  hates,  are  assimilated 
and  merged  in  the  common  mass.  Put  another  person 


90  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

into  this  same  human  current  and  he  never  is  merged 
in  it,  but  preserves  the  same  flinty  outlines  amid  all 
the  surgings  of  the  waves.  He  is  himself  through  all 
changes,  and  never  disintegrated  by  the  current. 
And  the  reason  is  not  to  be  found  in  intellect,  cul- 
ture, or  sensibility,  nor  in  any  amount  of  personal 
acquirements  or  accomplishments,  but  in  the  amount  of 
will  which  the  man  possesses."  But  the  will  is  some- 
thing more  than  the  power  of  self-cohesion,  even  as 
man  is  something  more  than  a  lump  of  granite.  It  is 
something  more  than  power  to  resist  changes  outside 
of  it — it  is  power  to  make  changes.  The  man  of  will 
not  only  withstands  the  disintegrating  and  assimilating 
forces  which  play  around  him,  but  actually  modifies 
them ;  not  only  preserves  his  own  selfhood,  but  im- 
presses himself  upon  what  is  about  him.  He  changes 
circumstances  and  makes  new  ones,  even  as  if  the 
granite  could  not  only  retain  its  own  integrity,  but 
change  the  quality  of  the  waters  around  it. 

Now,  whatever  robs  a  man  of  this  power  degrades 
him  towards  brutishness.  It  makes  him  less  a  man 
and  more  a  thing.  What  is  the  most  pitiable  feature 
of  the  drunkard's  case  ?  Not  his  poverty,  and  rags, 
and  beggary ;  not  his  companionship,  like  that  of  the 
very  swine  —  though  these  things  are  pitiable  enough. 
It  is  not  at  all  in  the  external  wretchedness  which  he 
has  created  about  him  in  his  home.  But  it  is  in  his 
own  utter  powerlessness  to  assert  himself.  He  cannot 


The  Decay  of  Will  91 

say,  "I  will."  His  resolutions  perish  even  before  their 
birth.  He  may  long,  nay,  there  are  times  when  he 
does  long,  in  the  depths  of  his  heart,  to  rise  up  against 
the  force  of  habit  and  inclination  and  the  moral  and 
social  bondage  which  he  has  imposed  upon  himself, 
and  cast  them  off ;  but  it  is  as  impossible  for  him  as  it 
would  be  to  scale  the  skies.  And  there  is  no  sadder 
sight  in  all  the  world  than  that  of  a  man  so  enfeebled 
in  this  department  of  his  nature  that  it  has  not  power 
to  bring  resolution  to  the  birth ;  but  as  often  as  the 
purpose  is  inwardly  suggested,  its  nascent  life  is 
choked  out  by  the  giants  of  habit  and  of  circumstance. 
There  is  no  salvation  for  him,  because  the  will- 
power within  him  is  dead.  For  take  notice,  my  friends, 
this  is  the  salvable  point  in  a  man.  This  is  the 
point  at  which  salvation  lays  hold  upon  him.  How 
constantly  Christ  appeals  to  it  in  his  miracles  of  heal- 
ing. "Wilt  thou  be  made  whole?"  he  asks.  "Wilt 
thou  f  "  And  he  tests  this  will-power  before  he  heals, 
by  commanding  what  seems  like  an  impossibility : 
" Stretch  forth  that  dead  hand!"  "Rise,  thou  bed- 
ridden cripple ;  take  up  thy  bed  and  walk !  "  And 
physicians  do  the  same  thing  now.  They  know  that 
if  they  secure  the  co-operation  of  a  strong  will  they 
have  an  alliance  which  makes  their  medicines  doubly 
efficacious.  The  cure  begins  when  the  "I  will"  is  as- 
serted. There  is  no  question,  I  suppose,  that  the  life 
of  the  late  Mr.  Yanderbilt  was  protracted,  beyond 


92  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

all  expectation,  by  this  inward  forcefulness  of  his 
volitional  nature.  So,  too,  men  with  a  purpose  that 
seemed  defiant  of  danger  have  passed  unharmed 
through  airs  reeking  with  pestilence,  have  endured 
what  to  others  of  less  wall-power  would  have  been  in- 
tolerable and  fatal.  So,  to  use  a  frequent  illustration : 
"  Dr.  Kane,  an  invalid  who  traveled  for  his  health  up 
in  the  ice-regions,  with  the  thermometer  at  seventy 
degrees  below  zero,  kept  off  the  cold  from  the  seat  of 
life,  while  stronger  men  than  he  yielded  to  its  death- 
grasp." 

It  is  a  wonder  that  this  young  man  in  the  parable 
had  not  lost  the  power  to  say,  "I  will  arise."  For 
when  a  man  abuses  himself  as  he  had  done,  this 
faculty  is  among  the  first  to  be  weakened.  This 
power,  so  regal  among  the  powers  of  human  nature, 
is  sensitive  and  fugacious.  It  subsides  and  shrinks 
and  vanishes  away  under  abuse  or  neglect.  It  re- 
fuses to  hold  a  dishonored  scepter.  Its  kingdom 
"  is  not  in  word,  but  in  power."  It  may  die,  and  its 
death  be  unsuspected.  We  are  told,  again  and  again, 
how  hazardous  a  thing  it  is  for  a  young  man  to  enter 
upon  an  evil  course,  with  the  intention  of  desisting 
from  it  by  and  by.  Not  so  much  that  there  may  be 
no  by  and  by  for  him,  but  because,  when  the  set  time 
has  come,  the  will  may  be  utterly  powerless  to  assert 
itself.  The  suicide  goes  on,  while  neither  the  man 
himself  nor  any  one  else  is  aware  of  it.  What  a  thrill 


The  Decay  of  Will  93 

of  horror  would  come  over  us  if,  as  we  were  walking 
along  the  peaceful  street,  some  higher  intelligence 
should  point  out  to  us  one  house  after  another  and 
whisper  to  us,  There,  and  there,  and  there,  a  fellow- 
mortal  is  lying  in  the  struggle  of  death.  A  more 
fearful  disclosure  than  that  might  be  made,  if  we 
could  look  into  these  houses  of  human  flesh  and  blood. 
There,  and  there,  and  there,  a  godlike  will  lies  dying. 
The  best  that  is  in  the  man  is  perishing.  For  this 
power  dies  while  yet  the  physical  strength  is  firm. 
This  power  dies  while  yet  the  tender  affections  of  love 
and  friendship  flourish.  This  power  dies  while  yet  the 
fires  of  intellect  and  wit  are  brightly  glowing.  The 
house  is  all  bright  with  gayety  and  good  cheer,  and  the 
merry  guests  come  and  go ;  but  in  its  inmost  chamber 
lies  the  master,  dead  beyond  the  power  of  resurrec- 
tion. 

It  is  a  wonder,  I  say,  that  this  young  man  had  left 
enough  inward  force  to  resist  the  inertia  that  was  set- 
tling  upon  him.  It  is  a  wonder  that  he  did  not  think 
about  it  and  languidly  put  it  off.  It  is  a  wonder  that 
having  come  to  the  inward  conviction  and  risen  up,  he 
did  not  weakly  sit  down  again  among  his  swine,  think- 
ing that  it  would  be  better  or  easier  to  carry  out  the 
resolve  on  the  morrow;  and  so,  like  the  freezing  man 
who  knows  not  that  he  is  freezing,  sink  into  a  deeper 
and  more  irresistible  torpidity. 

And  when  a  man  awakes  to  the  fact  that  the  will- 


94  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

power  is  gone,  what  a  terrible  awakening  must  it  be  ! 
I  have  read  of  one,  with  a  soft  and  yielding  nature, 
though  mentally  well-endowed,  who  had  not  allowed 
this  inward  monarch  to  summon  his  powers  to  their 
proper  subjection  and  exercise,  until  by  habitually 
taking  away  its  scepter,  he  had  driven  it  entirely  from 
its  throne.  In  his  age  he  became  reduced  to  poverty, 
and  felt  compelled  to  write  for  his  daily  food.  "In 
order  to  earn  a  crust  of  bread,"  said  he,  "I  have  sat 
down  on  a  summer's  morning,  intending  to  write  a 
story  for  the  magazines ;  and  I  have  folded  the  paper, 
and  dipped  the  pen,  and  held  it  in  my  fingers  till 
it  dried ;  and  I  have  dipped  it  again,  hoping  that  the 
thought  would  come,  and  gone  on  in  this  way  till  the 
sun  went  down,  without  even  marking  the  paper. 
Then  I  grew  so  weak  that  I  could  not  come  up  these 
stairs,  except  on  my  hands  and  feet,  and  by  and  by  I 
could  not  come  at  all ;  and  for  the  last  three  weeks  I 
have  not  left  my  bed,  and  now  they  tell  me  I  am 
dying."  Dying,  because  his  will  had  lost  the  power 
to  summon  his  faculties  to  their  proper  exercise.  My 
friends,  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to  be  self-deprived  of  the 
power  to  say  "I  will" — to  be  unable  to  set  the  face  in 
any  right  direction  and  command  the  feet  to  go.  It 
is  easy  to  see,  too,  how  along  this  line  of  a  gradually 
weakening  will,  somewhere,  there  comes  the  point  at 
which  to  arouse  one's  self  becomes  an  impossibility,  and 
so  the  man  is  unsalvable.  "Would  it  not  be  wise  for  us 


The  Decay  of  Will.  95 

here  to-day  to  test  ourselves  on  this  all-important 
question?  Some  of  us  have  never  said,  "I  will  arise, 
and  go  to  my  Father,"  under  the  impression  that  we 
could  do  it  at  any  time — when  there  shall  have  come 
some  more  convenient  opportunity,  when  the  cares  of 
life  shall  press  less  urgently,  when  the  work  of  secur- 
ing a  competency  shall  be  finished,  or  perchance  when 
somewhat  more  of  life's  lower  pleasures  shall  be  ex- 
hausted. We  have  been  under  the  impression  that 
the  work  of  salvation  is  so  simple  and  so  easy  that 
it  can  be  accomplished  at  any  time.  It  is  simple  and 
easy  only  to  a  mighty  will.  Are  we  sure  that  we  can 
say  even  now  that  potent  ".I  will  ?  "  Summon  your- 
self to  it,  and  see  if  your  will  is  still  regnant,  or 
whether  it  do  not  sink  back,  exhausted  and  powerless 
in  the  effort. 

I  know  of  a  man  in  this  city,  to-day,  of  brilliant 
intellect,  one  who  has  been  engaged  for  years  in  liter- 
ary work,  and  who  is  desirous,  earnestly  and  sincerely 
so,  of  taking  the  prodigal's  resolution;  but  he  cannot! 
He  has  thorough  theoretical  knowledge  of  religion, 
the  highest  appreciation  of  the  character  and  work  of 
Christ,  and  the  tenderest  sensibilities  withal ;  can 
hardly  speak  of  the  Redeemer  but  with  tears,  and  yet, 
so  complete  is  the  paralysis  of  the  will  in  the  man, 
that  for  him  to  become  a  Christian  seems  an  impossi- 
bility. One  thing  has  stood  in  the  way  for  years,  and 
to  that  one  thing  his  will  has  so  often  been  forced  to 


96  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

succumb,  that  it  has  no  longer  the  power  to  assert 
itself.  A  royal  palace,  gloriously  furnished,  but  the 
monarch  lying  defunct,  and  his  revolted  subjects  riot- 
ing through  the  halls  —  a  living  man,  with  a  dead  will. 
What  emphasis  and  illustration  do  such  facts  as  this 
give  to  those  passages  of  the  Word  of  God  which 
indicate  a  limitation  to  the  possibilities  of  salvation. 
"To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your 
hearts."  "  Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found. 
Call  ye  upon  him  while  he  is  near."  "Now  is  the 
accepted  time;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation." 

But  I  apprehend  that  one  of  the  greatest  difficulties 
with  men  is,  not  only  that  the  will  is  weakened  and 
paralyzed,  but  that  they  do  not  know  precisely  what 
is  the  thing  that  they  must  have  the  will  to  do.  The 
will  may  be  strong  as  Samson,  and  yet,  like  him, 
blind.  There  is  a  conventional  way  of  treating  all 
men  who  have  any  desire  to  enter  upon  the  Christian 
life,  which  often  does  violence  to  their  sincerity,  and 
conveys  a  false  impression.  We  tell  them  to  "  believe 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  We  adopt  an  answer  which 
was  given  to  a  certain  man,  under  very  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances, in  a  very  peculiar  state  of  mind,  under 
the  pressure  of  peculiar  difficulties,  and  apply  it  any- 
where and  everywhere,  no  matter  whether  the  case  be 
parallel  or  not.  To  be  sure,  we  must  all  "  believe  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  "There  is  none  other  name 
under-  heaven  given  among  men  whereby  we  must  be 


The  Decay  of  Will.  97 

saved."  And  yet  many  a  one  could  honestly  reply,  "  I 
do  believe  in  him ;  I  know  he  died  for  me ;  I  accept 
all  that  you  say  about  the  chastisement  of  our  peace 
laid  upon  him,  and  our  healing  by  his  stripes,  and  yet 
I  cannot  say  that  I  am  a  Christian."  No,  you  are  not. 
There  is  nothing  in  all  this  analogous  to  this  deter- 
mination of  the  prodigal.  What,  then,  is  the  precise 
direction  in  which  this  will-power  must  work  ?  Let 
us  see. 

"  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father."  Now,  take  no- 
tice, my  friends,  that  this  was  the  hardest  thing  in  the 
world  that  this  young  man  could  have  proposed  to 
himself.  It  involved  the  greatest  sacrifice  that  it  was 
in  his  power  to  make.  It  was  humiliating;  it  was 
mortifying.  It  crossed  his  pride;  it  took  down  his 
conceit.  Had  he  not  said  that  he  preferred  to  go  on 
his  own  way  and  be  the  master  of  his  own  destiny, 
and  carve  out  his  own  life-path?  And  the  elder 
brother  at  home,  would  he  not  scorn  him?  And  the 
servants,  would  they  not  make  sport  of  him  ?  His 
resolution,  then,  amounted  to  just  this :  that  he  would 
break  through  the  pride  which  separated  him  from  a 
return  to  a  true  filial  life ;  that  he  would  renounce  it, 
cast  it  behind  his  back  and  take  the  cross  of  humilia- 
tion, whatever  the  cost  of  feeling  that  it  might  involve. 
He  knew  perfectly  well,  before  he  came  to  this  point, 
that  his  father  still  loved  him.  He  knew  that  the 
father  would  receive  him  graciously;  but  he  did  not 


98  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

come  into  the  feeling  of  a  child — he  was  not  a  true 
child — until  he  said  "I  will,"  and  assumed  the  cross 
which  the  resolution  involved.  Then  —  then — he  was 
a  child.  Now,  some  analogous  act  of  renunciation  or 
sacrifice,  I  believe,  invariably  stands  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  Christian  life.  When  a  young  man  came 
to  Jesus?  asking,  "  Good  Master,  what  must  I  do  to  in- 
herit eternal  life  ?"  the  answer  was  not,  "  Believe  in  me 
as  a  Saviour;"  but  "Go  sell  that  thou  hast  and  give  to 
the  poor;  take  up  thy  cross  and  follow  me" — giving 
his  will  that  distinct  and  clearly-defined  obstacle  to 
overcome.  That  closely-hugged  wealth  was  the  thing 
that  kept  him  from  being  a  Christian.  And  his  will 
was  not  equal  to  the  effort.  When  the  publicans 
came  to  John,  asking  the  same  question,  "  Master,  what 
shall  we  do?"  he  answered  them  in  the  same  way: 
"Exact  no  more  than  that  which  is  appointed  you;" 
the  very  hardest  thing  for  a  farmer  of  taxes  to  do :  to 
give  up  the  only  hope  of  obtaining  wealth;  to  sacri- 
fice even  the  prospects  which  the  Roman  laws  allowed 
him.  And  wherever  in  the  Gospels  the  question  is 
asked,  you  will  find  that  the  answer  is  not  given  indis- 
criminately, "Believe;"  but  the  most  careful  discrim- 
ination is  manifest  in  pointing  out  the  cross  at  the 
very  outset.  And  it  is  always  a  real  cross  —  something 
that  stands  in  the  way  of  a  trustful  and  filial  life ;  some- 
thing for  the  personal  will  to  grapple  with.  And  you 
will  see  that  the  answer  which  was  made  to  the  jailer 


The  Decay  of  Will.  99 

was  given  for  the  same  reason.  For  the  proud  Roman 
to  give  in  his  allegiance  to  a  Jew — a  Nazarene  —  a 
malefactor — a  CEUCIFIED  one — what  Roman  spirit 
could  bear  the  humiliation  ?  But  how  he  bowed  to  it. 
Nay,  rather  how  he  rose  to  it,  with  a  will  royal  as  a 
Roman's,  yet  submissive  as  a  Christian's  should  be ! 

Now,  my  friends,  for  some  of  you  to  say  "I  will 
arise,"  would  be  to  go  home  to  your  families,  and  say 
to  them,  "I  am  going  to  live  the  life  of  a  Christian 
from  henceforth,  so  help  me  God."  It  would  be  a  hard 
thing  to  do,  the  hardest  sacrifice  you  ever  made.  It 
would  be  such  a  test  of  your  will-power  as  it  has  never 
endured.  For  some,  it  would  be  to  rise  and  say  to 
your  friends  in  the  prayer-meeting  to-night,  "  I  ought 
to  be  a  Christian ;  I  feel  the  obligation  pressing  upon 
me  to  lead  a  different  life ;  I  will  arise ;  I  wish  you  to 
pray  for  God's  grace  to  help  me."  For  some  of  you 
it  would  be,  to-morrow  morning,  to  go  to  Mr.  Jones,  or 
Mr.  Robinson,  and  say,  "My  friend,  I  have  received 
this  money  from  you  unjustly,  and  I  want  to  restore 
it.  I  have  been  all  wrong,  and  I  want  to  be  a  differ- 
ent man."  Or,  it  would  be  to  go  to  your  neighbor, 
whom  you  have  offended,  or  whom  you  have  injured, 
and  own  the  wrong,  and  ask  his  forgiveness.  For 
some  it  will  be  a  prompt  and  decisive  surrender  of  a 
habit  which  is  breaking  you  down  in  body  and  in  soul, 
and  which  you  cannot  keep,  you  know  you  cannot, 
and  be  God's  child.  For  some  it  may  be  the  giving  up 


100  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

of  some  long  and  deeply-cherished  plan,  which  you 
secretly  know  is  not  pleasing  to  the  Heavenly  Father, 
something  which  is  dear  to  you  as  life  itself.  It  will 
make  your  heart  bleed  to  give  it  up,  but  the  way  of 
life  lies  over  its  ruins. 

Then,  my  friends,  "believing  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ "  will  mean  something ;  it  will  mean  following 
and  being  like  him,  which  are  a  very  essential  part  of 
being  saved  by  him.  But,  whatever  it  be,  let  there  be 
at  once  a  break  —  a  decisive  severing  of  the  past  from 
the  future.  Let  there  be  no  more  of  this  hazardous 
trifling  with  the  most  awful  faculty  which  God  has 
given  you.  If  your  will  is  paralyzed,  strengthen  the 
things  which  remain  that  are  ready  to  die.  Give  it 
henceforth  the  power  that  God  has  put  upon  it,  and 
of  which  you  have  been  robbing  it.  Never  say  no  to 
it  again  when  it  turns  towards  God  and  heaven.  And, 
with  most  unquestioning  confidence  in  God's  fatherly 
affection,  and  in  your  Elder  Brother's  atoning  love, 
say,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father."  They  will 
come  forth  to  meet  you,  even  from  afar.  You  shall  be 
invested  in  clean  robes,  your  transgressions  forgiven, 
and  your  sins  covered,  and  know  what  you  never 
have  known  before,  an  experience  of  that  Father's 
favor,  which  outweighs  a  life-time  of  all  earth's  lesser 
joys,  and  atones  for  its  greatest  sacrifice. 


COMING  TO  ONE'S  SELF, 


BY  ANDREW  P.   PEABODY,   D.  D. 


When  he  came  to  himself,  he  said,    ...    I  will  arise  and  go  to  my 
Father.—  Luke  xv.  17,  18. 


IT  cannot  be  denied  that  there  is  in  many  quarters 
of  our  New  England  society  a  degree  of  indifference 
to  religion,  never  before  so  openly  manifested,  —  an 
indifference  in  many  cases  exaggerated  into  repug- 
nancy, and  in  many  more  to  be  discriminated  from 
absolute  unbelief,  only  in  that  the  questions  under- 
lying the  faith  of  the  Christian  ages  are  ignored,  as 
not  claiming  even  the  show  of  argument,  or  the  cour- 
tesy of  consideration.  Were  all  our  churches  closed, 
our  Bibles  destroyed,  our  Sundays  secularized,  there 
are  not  a  few  who  would  be  glad,  and  many  would  be 
not  sorry.  Of  our  (so-called)  Protestant  population, 
the  number  of  intelligent  non-church-goers  is  very 
large. 

Nor  is  it  barely  the  outward  forms  of  Christianity 
that  are  neglected.  Its  records  are  no  longer  an 
essential  part  of  home  education  and  of  daily  reading, 

101 


102  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

and,  though  they  retain  their  place  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  they  are  studied  much  less  efficiently  than  was 
the  habit  of  earlier  times,  and  there  are  not  a  few  of 
the  now  rising  generation  that  know  little  about  them, 
and  care  less.  Meanwhile,  because  the  literature  of 
the  oldest  nation  in  existence  —  the  most  influential 
factor  in  the  world's  history — is  bound  up  in  the  same 
volume  with  the  Christian  Scriptures,  it  is  passing  out 
of  the  knowledge  of  educated  men  and  women; 
though,  were  the  same  magnificent  lyrics,  the  same 
sketches  of  character,  the  same  morsels  of  biography 
and  history,  in  any  book  but  the  Bible,  scholars 
would  be  willing  to  learn  a  new  language  in  order  to 
read  them. 

I  have  no  fear  for  the  ultimate  future  of  Christian- 
ity. Because  I  believe  it  divine,  I  have  no  doubt  that 
it  will  prevail  and  triumph.  Yet  more,  the  very 
indifference  and  preterition  of  which  I  have  spoken, 
rightly  interpreted,  bear  testimony  to  its  divinity;  if 
it  were  not  more  than  human  and  earthly,  it  would 
have,  in  an  age  like  ours,  no  dearth  of  receptive 
minds.  Nor  do  I  think  that  the  world,  or  our  portion 
of  it,  is  growing  worse ;  but  the  improvement  which  is 
going  on  now  is,  in  great  part,  due  to  influences  of 
Christianity  in  its  more  intense  and  vivid  realization, 
which  have  not  yet  spent  their  force,  nor  will  have 
spent  it  before  their  fountain  shall  resume  its  full 
flow.  Of  the  reforms,  social,  political,  and  moral, 


Coming  to  One's  Self.  103 

which  have  among  their  foremost  advocates  men  and 
women  who  look  at  the  church  with  no  friendly 
regard,  there  is  not  one  which  was  not  distinctively 
Christian  in  its  origin  and  initial  impulse ;  and  society 
is  advancing  with  a  momentum  derived  from  the 
Gospel  it  ignores,  as  a  railway  train  continues  to 
move  on  an  even  grade  when  the  steam  is  shut  off. 
My  only  concern  is  for  the  many  who,  in  their  indi- 
vidual characters,  motives,  and  aims,  lack  the  power  — 
at  once  hallowing,  intenerating,  and  energizing  — 
which  goes  forth  from  Christ,  and  from  him  alone ; 
and  especially  for  those  who  are  coming  forward  into 
life,  without  even  the  recognition  of  truths  and  hopes 
which  —  if  only  held  in  unappropriating  belief  and 
reverence — would  be  resorted  to  in  after  days,  under 
the  pressure  of  growing  trusts,  responsibilities,  trials, 
and  temptations. 

But  religion  is  not  alone  in  the  declining  interest 
with  which,  it  is  regarded.  Introspective  inquiry,  in 
every  department,  has  lost  its  hold  on  the  general 
mind.  Physiology  has  tenfold  the  attention,  curiosity, 
and  research,  that  are  bestowed  on  the  mental  and 
moral  constitution  of  man;  the  body  far  transcends 
the  soul  in  the  scale  of  relative  importance ;  and  scores 
are  profoundly  interested  in  the  physical  parentage  of 
our  race,  to  one  who  concerns  himself  about  the 
source,  nature,  destiny,  or  even  existence,  of  the 
spiritual  nature.  Equally  indifferent  is  the  general 


104  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

mind  to  the  principles  that  underlie  the  conduct  of 
life.  Questions  of  expediency  have  the  precedence  of 
questions  of  right;  and  the  right  is  oftener  urged  on 
the  ground  of  expediency,  than  on  that  of  its  own 
legitimate  sovereignty.  Indeed,  when  the  highest 
Christian  morality  is  ostensibly  made  the  rule  of  life, 
it  is  frequently  associated  with  the  meanest  motives, 
and  Christ  is  glorified  as  dispensing  the  loaves  and 
fishes,  rather  than  as  giving  and  being  the  bread  from 
heaven. 

My  text  defines  and  accounts  for  the  phenomena  of 
which  I  have  spoken.  The  prodigal  came  to  himself 
before  he  thought  of  returning  to  his  father.  Self- 
communion  alone  can  bring  us  to  the  Father  and  to 
Christ,  through  whom  alone  we  come  to  the  Father. 
There  is  in  our  time  no  peculiar  indifference  or  repug- 
nancy to  religion  as  such,  or  to  Christ  in  his  own  per- 
son; but  the  habits  now  prevalent  are  averse  from 
self-communion.  This  is  due  in  great  part,  no  doubt, 
to  the  immense  progress  in  material  knowledge,  art 
and  science,  in  which  more  than  the  work  of  centuries 
has  been  crowded  within  the  lifetime  of  a  single  gen- 
eration. The  world  has  so  multiplied  and  intensified 
its  claims  upon  man's  cognitive,  apprehensive  and  ac- 
tive powers,  that  he  lacks  breathing  intervals  for  dis- 
tinct self -consciousness,  or  can  secure  them  only  by 
forcibly  expelling  or  holding  at  arm's  length  obtrusive 
worldly  objects  and  interests.  There  will  be,  in  due 


Coming  to  Ones  Self.  105 

process  of  time,  an  order  in  this  tumultuous  chaos;  an 
organization  of  the  conquests  over  nature;  a  settled 
possession  and  usufruct  of  the  enlarged  realm  of 
earthly  being;  and  then  there  may  be,  there  doubt- 
less will  be,  a  return  from  over-intense  material  activ- 
ity to  introspective  habits  of  thought  and  feeling. 
But,  meanwhile,  the  needs  of  the  individual  soul  are 
all  that  they  were  a  generation  ago,  or  will  be  a  cen- 
tury hence. 

The  prevalent  aims,  made  intenser  than  ever  before 
by  the  material  tendencies  of  the  age,  concern,  not 
the  quality  of  being,  but  its  earthly  destiny  alone. 
The  questions  which  those  indifferent  to  religion  ask 
themselves  are  not,  What  am  I  ?  and,  What  ought  I  to 
be?  but  rather,  What  shall  I  do?  Where  shall  I  be? 
What  place  shall  I  aim  for  ?  What  havings  shall  I  seek  ? 
On  what  list  of  competitors  for  havings  shall  I  inscribe 
my  name  ?  Many  there  are,  indeed,  who  do  not  ask 
even  these  questions;  but  live,  as  the  coarse  phrase 
is,  from  hand  to  mouth,  with  no  settled  plan  or  fixed 
purpose,  watching  for  such  opportunities  as  may  occur 
for  gain  or  for  pleasure,  and  content  if  they  get  their 
dividend  of  havings  from  day  to  day. 

Now,  a  religion  that  would  meet  the  aspirations  of 
minds  of  either  of  these  classes  would  be  no  religion 
at  all ;  much  less  one  that  was  heaven-born  and  God- 
given.  The  first  word  of  a  divine  religion  must  rouse 
men  to  the  consciousness  of  their  individual  being,  and 

G* 


106  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

of  the  paramount  importance  of  what  they  are  in  soul 
and  spirit.  He  whose  utmost  desire  is  satisfied  by 
success  in  an  earthly  career — even  though  that  career 
be  the  noblest  of  all,  the  possession  of  knowledge  and 
of  the  power  to  utilize  it — feels  none  of  the  wants 
which  religion  satisfies,  and  may  therefore  be  content 
to  ignore  it.  It  is  only  when  he  comes  to  himself, 
that  his  career  fails  to  meet  his  desires  and  to  respond 
to  his  endeavors.  Let  us  now  consider  the  new  views 
of  life  implied  in  the  awakening  of  self-consciousness. 
If  I  come  to  myself,  what  do  I  need  ?  I  need,  first 
of  all,  my  own  respect.  It  is  not  enough  for  me  that 
I  have  the  esteem  of  those  around  me ;  that  I  occupy 
my  position  in  life  blamelessly ;  that  I  am  growing  in 
consideration,  in  honor,  in  substantial  success.  There 
are  multitudes  around  me  of  whom  all  this  is  true,  yet 
who  have  no  qualities  that  command  my  reverence,  no 
independent  traits  of  moral  and  spiritual  manhood 
which  would  make  me  regard  them  as  enviable  for 
what  they  are,  though  they  may  be  so  for  what  they 
have  or  for  the  places  they  fill.  What  I  want,  if  I 
deem  my  selfhood  of  any  worth,  is  such  an  inward 
character  as  in  another  person  I  should  admire  and 
reverence ;  such  a  character  as,  could  its  environments 
be  made  transparent,  would  win  loving  regard  and 
deference,  even  in  the  humblest  position  and  with  the 
most  abject  surroundings.  Now,  I  see  the  elements  of 
such  a  character  nowhere  but  in  the  teachings  of 


Coming  to  One's  Self.  107 

Christ;  its  perfect  exemplar  nowhere  but  in  his  life; 
its  truly  venerable  representations  nowhere  but  in 
those  who  have  modeled  their  lives  on  his.  If  I  look 
within,  I  cannot  but  compare  my  character  with  his, 
and  make  him  in  his  perfect  humanity  my  criterion 
and  my  judge.  Far  enough  below  him  I  shall,  indeed, 
find  myself ;  but  so  far  as  I  see  in  myself  any  Christ- 
likeness —  especially  if  it  be  growing  in  me — I  can 
look  on  my  own  inward  being  with  self-complacency 
and  hope.  Not  so,  however,  if  I  find  that  my  virtues 
are  mere  prudential  conformities ;  that  my  habits, 
however  good,  have  no  substratum  of  inward  princi- 
ple ;  that  I  am  a  mere  factor,  however  important,  in 
the  mechanism  of  society,  and  not  a  self-conscious  in- 
teger in  the  commonwealth  of  souls.  Thus  I  cannot 
come  to  myself  without  resorting  for  my  self-respect 
to  him  whom  he  that  has  seen  with  the  vision  of  an 
appropriating  faith  has  seen  the  Father. 

But  it  is  not  enough  that  I  take  on  the  traits,  or 
even  breathe  the  spirit  of  Christ.  I  cannot  respect 
myself,  unless  I  am  assured  of  my  Father's  complacent 
regard ;  unless  I  hold  a  child's  place  with  reference  to 
him.  Here,  whatever  my  present  aims  and  aspira- 
tions may  be,  I  encounter  the  memory  of  sins  thab 
have  merited  his  displeasure,  and  I  cannot  but  recog- 
nize a  law  of  the  lower  nature  still  in  conflict  with  my 
better  self,  —  with  the  law  which  the  inner  man  has 
chosen.  I  need  forgiveness,  and  the  assurance  of  it. 


108  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

I  do  not  deserve  it.  I  cannot  promise  it  to  myself.  I 
know  not  where  to  look  for  it,  but  to  Christ  and  his 
Cross, — to  "God  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto 
himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  them."  It 
is  in  the  suffering  Saviour  that  the  Father  comes  forth 
to  meet  his  penitent  child,  to  throw  around  him  the 
arms  of  an  undying  love,  and  to  extend  to  him  the 
welcome  home  which  else  the  sinless  alone  might  have 
claimed. 

But  not  only  do  I  need  his  forgiveness  for  the  sins, 
which  I  repent  and  forsake.  As  his  being  is  the  most 
essential  fact  in  my  being,  so  is  his  constant  approval 
my  most  constant  need ;  his  favor,  my  true  life.  I 
have  his  love,  his  yearning  love,  let  me  be  what  I  may. 
The  yearning  of  that  love  can  be  satisfied,  only  as  I  am 
always  his,  —  as  I  look  to  him  for  daily  guidance,  com- 
mend myself  ever  to  his  blessing,  live  always  as  in  his 
sight,  and  make  my  work  worship,  my  enjoyment 
praise.  To  acknowledge  the  being  of  God  in  seasons 
of  devotion,  and  yet  to  ignore  it  in  any  part  of  my 
daily  life,  is  as  absurd  as  it  is  impious,  and  if  I  care 
anything  about  my  own  selfhood,  I  cannot  tolerate  in 
myself  intervals  of  practical  atheism,  even  though 
they  alternate  with  religious  hours;  but  I  shall  em- 
ploy the  most  strenuous  self-discipline,  and  shall  earn- 
estly implore  the  aid  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  that  I  may 
walk  ever  as  on  holy  ground,  and  live  ever  as  within 
temple  gates. 


Coming  to  One's  Self.  109 

Yet  more,  if  I  come  to  myself,  I  must  needs  have 
an  aim  and  a  career,  for  my  self,  for  my  soul,  for  that 
which  is  the  seat  of  principle,  affection,  and  character ; 
and  what  is  that  aim,  that  career,  what  can  it  be, 
other  than  growth  in  goodness,  the  perfecting  of  char- 
acter, progress  in  devotion,  love,  charity,  in  all  the 
graces  of  the  Christian  spirit  and  life  ?  This  is  the 
only  career  which  is  not  self-limited,  the  only  aim 
which  I  can  pursue  while  life  lasts.  Let  me  enter  on 
the  most  desirable  earthly  career  that  can  open  before 
my  ambition,  if  my  days  upon  earth  be  not  pre- 
maturely cut  off,  before,  probably  long  before  they 
terminate,  I  shall  have  reached  my  ultimate  goal ;  I 
shall  have  exhausted  the  possibilities  of  my  position ; 
I  shall  have  passed  the  climax  of  my  enjoyment  of 
whatever  it  can  give  me ;  I  shall  see  myself,  if  not 
displaced,  surpassed  by  younger  rivals;  and  the  best 
that  I  can  hope  is  a  quiet,  and  not  unhpnored,  decline, 
and  a  close  gracefully  rounded  off.  More  probably, 
the  decline  will  be  reluctant,  with  the  painful  feeling 
of  being  thrust  aside,  and  with  retrospective  longings 
for  what  has  gone  from  me  irrevocably.  Such  a 
career,  indeed,  I  must  have,  as  a  citizen  of  this  world, 
and  if  I  live  long  enough,  I  must  step  aside  from  it 
before  I  die.  All  the  more,  therefore,  do  I  need  a 
career  on  which  the  lapse  of  years  will  not  arrest  me, 
— which  I  may  pursue  even  the  more  vigorously 
when  heavier  burdens  are  laid  on  my  patience  and 


110  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

my  cheerful  trust.  The  growth  of  character  need  not 
be  reverted,  or  suspended,  or  retarded,  by  any  earthly 
vicissitude.  It  ripens  in  the  late  autumn.  It  mellows 
under  the  frosts  of  the  declining  life-year.  When  the 
steps  become  feeble,  and  the  memory  treacherous,  and 
the  active  powers  the  mere  shadow  of  what  they  were, 
the  love  of  God  and  man,  submission  and  resignation, 
faith  and  trust,  may  still  be  on  the  ascendant ;  and  the 
years,  when  there  shall  be  no  longer  the  capacity  for 
pursuits  that  begin  and  end  on  earth,  may  find  the 
soul  still  advancing  on  the  heavenward  career,  its 
evening  shadows  glowing  in  the  morning  twilight  of 
the  unending  day.  Thus  may  be  verified  the  words 
of  the  prophet, — when,  as  to  things  earthly,  on  the 
once  fruitful  vine  there  shall  be  left  only  "two  or 
three  berries  on  the  top  of  the  uppermost  bough,  four 
or  five  in  the  outmost  branches,  —  at  that  day  shall  a 
man  look  to  his  Maker,  and  his  eyes  shall  have  respect 
to  the  Holy  One  of  Israel." 

But  it  is  not  age  alone  that  arrests  the  earthly 
career.  It  is  at  the  mercy  of  misfortune,  human 
caprice,  change  of  opinion,  unnumbered  casualties. 
How  many  there  are  who,  by  no  folly,  mistake  or 
fault  of  their  own,  falter  and  fail  early  or  midway! 
Nay,  how  many  who  find  no  room  for  so  much  as  an 
entrance  on  what  they  would  fain  make  their  life- 
path!  Many  more  than  would  be  imagined  by  one 
who  had  not  had  a  lengthened  period  of  observation, 


Coming  to  Ones  Self.  Ill 

lead  lives  of  perpetual  disappointment;  never  begin 
to  realize  their  aims ;  never  find  their  places,  and  see 
only  the  reverse  side  of  their  hopes  and  expectations. 

We  all,  then,  equally  need  a  lifelong  career,  —  an 
aim  which  we  can  pursue  with  no  possibility  of  failure ; 
and  this  we  can  have,  only  if  our  aim  be  the  noblest 
of  all,  —  that  of  moral  perfectness;  our  career  the 
highest  of  all,  —  that  of  the  love  of  God,  and  the  pur- 
suit of  that  which  has  praise  and  honor  with  him. 

But  we  need  more  than  a  career  that  shall  close 
only  with  death.  We  cannot  believe  our  life  earth- 
bounded.  There  is  an  instinctive  longing  for  immor- 
tality. The  man  who  comes  to  himself  is  conscious  of 
the  capacity  of  an  endless  being,  and  he  goes  to  his 
Father  as  to  the  Author  and  Giver  of  the  life  eternal. 
With  the  memorials  of  mortality  constantly  before  and 
around  us,  we  ought  to  take  death,  nay,  early,  speedy 
death,  into  our  plan  of  life,  and  to  make  our  career 
one  which  death  shall  not  suspend.  The  only  aim  with 
which  we  ought  to  be  satisfied  is  one  which  can  be 
pursued  alike  on  either  side  of  the  separating  stream. 
In  the  near  view  of  death  I  know  that  there  is  not 
one  of  us  who  would  be  contented  with  aught  short  of 
a  character  that  shall  find  its  congenial  home  in  the 
society  of  heaven.  This  and  this  alone  can  smooth 
the  declivity  that  slopes  grave  ward;  this  alone  can 
loose  the  pain  of  dying,  and  make  the  approaching 
close  of  the  earthly  life  serene  and 


112  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

Two  or  three  weeks  ago  the  principal  of  one  of  our 
great  scientific  institutions  described  to  me  the  condi- 
tion of  two  of  his  assistants,  both  consciously  death- 
bound.  One,  he  said,  was  a  man  of  large  attainments 
and  of  a  high  order  of  ability ;  but,  in  his  illness,  was 
alternating  between  welcome  seasons  of  prolonged  leth- 
argy and  awakenings  of  bewildering  solicitude  and 
racking  apprehension,  in  which  the  future  seemed  to 
him  utterly  obscure  and  hopeless.  The  other  was  an 
unlettered  porter,  who  had  led  a  life  of  simple,  earnest 
piety,  and  who  was  waiting  in  daily  expectation  of 
death,  with  unfaltering  hope,  and  notwithstanding  fre- 
quent attacks  of  intense  bodily  agony,  supremely 
happy  in  the  clear  and  realizing  view  of  an  open 
heaven.  The  one  had  a  career  which  fatal  illness  had 
closed  forever.  The  other  had  an  eternal  career,  in 
which  death  could  make  no  break.  Be  our  attain- 
ments what  they  may,  our  culture  no  matter  how  large 
and  high,  when  the  last  earthly  home  approaches  we 
shall  need  to  find  ourselves  on  a  career  on  which  we 
can  say,  "Death,  I  am  not  thine,  nor  canst  thou  arrest 
me  on  the  way  which  I  have  chosen.  Thou  canst  but 
speed  my  progress  on  that  path  of  the  just  on  which 
thy  shadow  casts  no  gloom,  while  the  Lord  God  sheds 
upon  it  eternal  light  and  everlasting  joy." 

I  cannot  close  more  fittingly  than  by  quoting  Luther's 
expression  of  the  contrast  between  the  earth-bounded 
and  the  eternal  life-career. 


Coming  to  One's  Self.  113 

The  formula  for  him  who  lives  for  earth  alone,  is : 

"  I  live,  but,  ah!  how  long, 

I  do  not,  cannot  know; 
I  die,  but  know  not  when, 

Nor  whither  I  shall  go. 
Why,  then,  I  ask  with  wonder,  why 
Do  I  thus  live  in  ease  and  joy  ?  " 

On  the  other  hand,  the  soul  in  which  the  eternal 
life  has  begun  on  earth  sings : 

"  I  live,  and  I  can  tell 

How  long  my  life  will  last; 
I  die,  and  know  full  well 

When  Jordan  will  be  passed; 
How  I  shall  die,  and  whither  go, 
The  Lord  hath  made  me  clearly  know. 
Why,  then,  I  ask  with  wonder,  why 
In  sadness  should  I  droop  and  die  ? " 


THE  CRY  FOE  A  CLEANSED  HEAET. 


BY  BEV.   ALBERT  E.   DUNKING. 


Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God;  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me. 
Cast  me  not  away  from  thy  presence,  and  take  not  thy  holy  spirit  from  me. 
Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation;  and  uphold  me  with  thy  free 
spirit.  Then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  ways ;  and  sinners  shall  be  con- 
verted unto  thee. — Psalm  li.  10-13. 


Iisr  our  noblest  moments  only  two  objects  are  before 
the  mind :  God,  and  one's  self.  These  are  the  mo- 
ments that  give  sweetness,  and  harmony,  and  power, 
to  our  lives.  No  one  who  does  not  often,  and  deliber- 
ately, with  a  profound  sense  of  need,  pray  to  God, 
"  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,"  can  pray  with  any  hope 
of  answer,  "Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation, 
and  sustain  me  with  a  free  spirit."  There  is  no  such 
joy  except  to  the  clean  heart.  There  are  no  clean 
hearts  except  those  which  God  has  cleansed,  in  answer 
to  the  cry  of  need.  The  spirit  of  adoption,  willing 
and  generous,  is  a  pure  spirit. 

In  this  time  of  religious  interest,  many  say,  "I  am 
not  moved.  I  know  I  ought  to  be  a  Christian,  but  I 
have  no  feeling."  Thousands  in  this  city  to-day  are 

114 


The  Cry  for  a  Cleansed  Heart.  115 

waiting  for  feeling,  and  when  that  comes  they  expect 
to  be  saved.  This  is  their  excuse  for  sin.  They  try 
to  cast  the  responsibility  for  their  uncleansed  hearts 
on  God.  What  step  must  they  take  in  order  to  realize 
the  divine  presence  ?  A  holy  choice  makes  you  realize 
the  touch  of  the  holy  God.  Feeling  can  no  more  con- 
tinue without  action,  than  music  without  sound.  How 
can  you  feel  deeply,  unless  you  welcome  feeling  ? 
When  God  touches  the  keys  of  your  soul,  you  must 
give  forth  sound.  When  one  truthfully  says,  "I  want, 
most  of  all,  a  clean  heart,"  he  puts  himself  into  an 
attitude  to  see  God.  "The  pure  in  heart  shall  see 
God." 

One  cloudless  midday  I  saw  groups  of  men  and 
women  in  the  streets,  gazing  into  the  sky.  I  looked, 
and  could  see  nothing.  I  could  not  understand  it.  It 
seemed  as  if  some  mad  folly  had  seized  them.  I 
asked  an  explanation.  "We  are  looking  at  a  star," 
said  one.  "It  shines  so  brightly  that  you  can  see  it  at 
midday."  He  guided  my  eyes  to  a  point  where  two 
telegraph  wires  crossed  each  other.  Instantly,  the 
white  dot  was  visible  in  the  blue.  Men  were  exclaim- 
ing on  every  side,  "  Oh,  I  see  it  plain  enough  !  "  It 
seemed  strange  that  I  had  not  seen  it  before.  Yet,  as 
soon  as  I  changed  my  position  and  looked  up,  the  sky 
was  blank  again.  You  can  see  and  feel  God  only 
along  the  line  of  a  holy  choice.  That  alone  will  bring 
over  you  the  awe  of  the  Unseen  Presence. 


116  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

The  experience  of  the  unconverted,  and  of  the 
Christian  who  has  lapsed  from  God,  are  similar  here. 
We  lose  sight  of  him  if  we  do  not  seek  daily  cleansing, 
and  daily  renew  our  vows.  Often  the  beauty  and 
grandeur  of  holiness  have  won  from  us  admiration, 
and  a  degree  of  self-denial,  without  bringing  inward 
peace.  But  as  soon  as  our  souls  are  set  with  a  supreme 
purpose  to  do  his  will,  his  overshadowing  presence  fills, 
and  profoundly  moves,  the  soul. 

Men  say,  "  We  don't  believe  in  revivals,  they  are 
attended  by  so  much  excitement."  But  if  one  man 
sets  himself  to  be  pure  in  heart,  and  repents  of  his 
sins,  the  new  sense  of  the  presence  of  God  will  make 
a  profound  impression  in  him,  and  on  his  friends.  If 
thousands  of  Christians  turn  anew,  one  by  one,  with 
the  sincere  prayer,  "  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,"  it 
will  occasion  some  excitement  in  them.  You  cannot 
help  it.  Would  you  rather  have  them  refrain  from 
the  excitement,  than  have  them  clean  ?  If  thousands, 
who  have  never  offered  that  prayer,  begin  to  pray,  it 
makes  a  good  deal  of  excitement,  and  some  mistakes 
may  be  made.  But  what  shall  we  say  of  the  helpful- 
ness, and  what  of  the  hearts  of  those  whose  only 
interest  in  the  prayers  of  multitudes  for  clean  hearts 
is  their  fear  of  the  excitement,  or  their  amusement 
at  it? 

Now,  when  our  resolve  to  be  holy  is  made,  our  help- 
lessness is  made  manifest.  We  cannot  make  pure  our 


The  Cry  for  a  Cleansed  Heart.  117 

impure  selves.  Then  the  cleansing  blood  of  Christ 
becomes  inexpressibly  precious,  and  we  welcome  the 
joy  of  his  salvation.  You  have  heard  of  it  a  thousand 
times.  But  all  at  once  you  feel  your  personal,  abso- 
lute need  of  it,  and  appropriate  the  wondrous  gift. 
Is  it  strange  that  men  are  excited,  and  shout  for  joy 
as  they  receive  it?  Heaven  rings  with  such  excite- 
ment—  the  hallelujahs  of  the  redeemed.  Those  who 
cannot  welcome  such  excitement,  and  are  disturbed 
because  the  city  is  so  full  of  it,  are  preparing  to  be 
still  less  able  to  bear  it,  and  to  say  to  the  mountains 
and  rocks,  "Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  his  face." 

You  cannot  escape  from  God.  You  may  fly  from 
the  joy  of  his  salvation,  from  the  expressions  of 
cleansed  hearts :  but  no  region  is  so  remote,  no  shelter 
so  thick,  as  to  hide  you  from  him  who  is  "  of  purer 
eyes  than  to  behold  evil."  It  has  been  well  said  that 
the  only  way  to  fly  from  God  is  to  fly  to  him.  Let  me 
mention,  then,  three  kinds  of  obstacles  that  come  be- 
tween us  and  God  when  we  go  to  him  to  ask  for 
cleansed  hearts. 

I.  Our  own  sins.  We  must  give  up  all  purpose  to 
sin  before  we  can  come  to  God  to  be  made  clean. 
Many  think  that  God  is  going  to  change  their  wills  by 
some  sort  of  mesmeric  power.  There  is  no  ground 
for  such  a  hope.  If  you  prefer  the  satisfaction  of  an 
unforgiving  spirit,  or  any  sinful  habit,  you  can  have 


118  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

it.  But  you  must  choose  between  that  and  a  cleansed 
heart.  You  cannot  have  both.  You  are  to  change 
your  will,  and  put  self  into  the  hands  of  a  holy  God, 
and  he  changes  your  heart  because  you  want  it 
changed. 

This  choice  extends  to  everything  we  possess :  posi- 
tion, property,  affections,  ambitions.  There  is  dishon- 
esty in  every  possession  that  we  hold  in  our  own 
names.  It  is  kept  by  the  basest  of  frauds,  and  makes 
a  clean  heart  impossible.  Not  long  since  I  saw  an  ad- 
vertisement on  my  neighbor's  house,  "For  sale."  I 
was  surprised.  He  had  recently  built  it,  with  the 
hope  of  spending  his  life  in  that  home.  I  called  on 
him.  He  told  me  he  had  become  bankrupt.  He  had 
surrendered  house,  shop,  store,  everything,  to  his  cred- 
itors, and  they  had  let  him  the  house,  and  had  em- 
ployed him  on  wages  in  his  own  shop  and  store.  Just 
so  we  are  bankrupt.  "We  owe  to  God  a  great  debt,  far 
more  than  we  can  ever  pay.  The  only  honest  course 
for  us  is  to  surrender  everything  into  his  hands,  and 
become  stewards  of  what  he  entrusts  to  us. 

You  know  how  desperate  men  get  when  conscience 
troubles  them,  and  they  refuse  to  give  up  certain  darl- 
ing sins.  They  go  to  God  and  lie,  in  prayer.  They 
say,  "Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,"  when  they  will  not 
have  it  made  clean.  I  have  known  men  who  frankly 
declared  they  would  not  forgive  others,  and  therefore 
did  not  use  the  prayer  our  Lord  has  taught  us  to  use. 


The  Cry  for  a  Cleansed  Heart.  119 

I  have  known  them  to  pray  with  seeming  intensity  of 
earnestness  to  be  pure  and  holy,  lying  unto  God.  I 
know  men  who  frankly  acknowledge  that  they  know 
God  commands  them  to  surrender  themselves  to  him, 
to  accept  Christ  as  their  Saviour  and  Lord,  and  they 
will  not  do  it.  Yet  they  keep  up  the  habit  of  prayer. 
They  come  to  God  just  as  if  they  meant  to  do  his  will, 
and  pray :  and  they  do  not  mean  to  do  his  will.  They 
think  God  does  not  know  it,  or  overlooks  it,  or  excuses 
it.  What  other  evidence  do  we  need  that  the  heart  is 
deceitful  and  desperately  wicked  ? 

Sometimes  people  say  it  is  cruel  to  tell  the  uncon- 
verted that  God  will  not  hear  their  prayers ;  that 
many  moral  men  do  not  accept  Christ's  cleansing,  but 
they  have  religious  sentiments,  and  God  is  a  being  of 
love,  and  will  not  turn  any  away.  But  when  any  one, 
converted  or  unconverted,  comes  to  God  in  prayer, 
God  always  put  to  him  this  question,  "  Will  you  obey 
my  will  ?  Will  you  give  yourself  up  to  me  ? "  He 
puts  that  question  in  his  Word.  He  puts  it  in  the 
conscience.  If  one  says  "  No  "  to  that  question,  it  is 
foolish,  and  wicked,  and  desperate  self-deception,  that 
leads  him  to  make  believe  he  is  praying.  "The 
thoughts  of  the  wicked  are  an  abomination  to  the 
Lord."  His  sins  are  right  between  him  and  God,  and 
it  is  his  business  to  put  them  out  of  the  way.  "  Be- 
hold, the  Lord's  hand  is  not  shortened,  that  it  cannot 
save ;  neither  his  ear  heavy,  that  it  cannot  hear ;  but 


120  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

your  iniquities  have  separated  between  you  and  your 
God,  and  your  sins  have  hid  his  face  from  you,  that 
he  will  not  hear.  *  *  *  Your  lips  have  spoken  lies." 

But  let  one  once  resolve  to  put  away  his  sins,  and 
with  a  sense  of  his  own  unworthiness  flee  to  God  to  be 
cleansed,  and  all  heaven  rings  with  welcome.  The 
Spirit  says,  "  Come."  The  bride  says,  "  Come."  They 
that  hear  say,  "  Come."  Heaven  thrills  with  joy  over 
one  repentant  soul.  Let  a  man  begin  to  be  honest 
with  himself,  and  honest  with  God,  and  all  who  love 
holiness  are  glad. 

But  we  make  a  terrible  mistake  when  we  seek  to 
quiet  conscience  in  any  other  way  than  by  coming  to 
God  to  be  cleansed  from  sin.  There  are  hours  when 
we  care  little  about  God ;  when  goodness  does  not  win, 
and  evil  does  not  startle.  But  there  are  other  hours 
when  we  want  to  be  holy;  when  we  realize  that  an 
uncleansed  heart  is  mean  and  vile  in  the  eyes  of  all 
the  universe.  What  we  feel  to  be  true  in  our  best 
moments,  remains  true  in  all  moments.  We  ought  to 
tremble  if  cleanness  of  heart  has  ceased  to  be  an 
object  of  concern.  Men  say  "  there  is  no  penalty  for 
sin,"  when  the  penalty  has  already  fallen  on  them. 
Is  a  frozen  thermometer  an  indication  that  the  cold 
has  ceased  ? 

A  little  child  was  lately  found  sleeping  beside  a 
lady,  and  neither  had  wakened  at  the  morning  call. 
But  because  both  were  equally  silent,  was  there  no 


The  Cry  for  a  Cleansed  Heart.  121 

woe  in  that  house  ?  The  child,  when  touched,  moved, 
and  quietly  opened  her  eyes  to  the  light.  The  lady 
answered  not,  moved  not.  She  had  died  without  a 
sound.  A  pure  conscience  responds  to  the  touch  of 
God,  like  the  sleeping  child  to  the  touch  of  her  friend. 
A  deadened  conscience  is  like  the  lady  who  had  died 
without  a  sound.  There  is  no  other  but  the  restless, 
tossing  conscience,  "  like  the  troubled  sea  when  it  can- 
not rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt."  But 
can  we  offer  a  deadened  conscience  as  a  substitute  for 
a  cleansed  heart,  when  we  come  to  stand  before  God 
in  judgment  ? 

There  is  a  terrible  reason  for  the  skepticism  of  those 
who  have  fallen  away  from  God.  "  I  cannot  believe 
as  I  used  to,"  men  say.  How  can  one  who  means  to 
carry  an  uncleansed  heart  believe  in  heaven  ?  He  has 
no  interest  in  it,  for  "  there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into 
it  anything  that  defileth."  "Holding  faith,  and  a 
good  conscience,  which,  some  having  put  away,  con- 
cerning faith  have  made  shipwreck."  When  once  the 
good  conscience  is  put  away,  faith  is  shipwrecked. 
How  can  a  moral  nature,  riddled  by  sins,  hold  faith  ? 
Faith  leaks  out  of  him  like  water  out  of  a  tub  that 
has  been  baked  in  the  sun.  There  is  no  genuine  faith 
without  a  heart  that  is  cleansed  from  sin.  If  we 
would  cry  to  God  for  cleansed  hearts,  we  must  first 
renounce  our  sins. 


122  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

II.  The  imperfections  of  those  who  wish  to  help  us, 
stand  between  us  and  God.  You  start  to  go  to  God 
and  pray,  "Create  in  me  a  clean  heart/'  and  you 
turn  to  look  at  the  imperfections  of  one  who  is  trying 
to  lead  you  there.  There  is  a  standard  of  esthetic 
taste,  of  physical  beauty,  of  literary  culture,  of  de- 
voutness  of  manner.  Men  stop  short  of  God  because 
the  means  he  has  provided  to  guide  them  to  him  do 
not  come  up  to  their  ideal. 

At  the  Centennial  Exposition,  a  mechanic  standing 
before  a  picture  was  overheard  speaking  rapturously 
in  its  praise.  "  Is  n't  it  splendid  ?  I  did  that."  "You 
did  it?"  said  an  astonished  bystander.  "Why,  this 
picture  is  by  an  eminent  French  artist,  and  here  is  his 
name  in  the  corner."  "Sho,"  was  the  reply,  "I  mean 
the  frame." 

Just  so  when  by  human  lips  "  Christ  hath  been  evi- 
dently set  forth,  crucified  among  you,"  we  talk  of  the 
man,  his  manner,  his  language,  his  surroundings,  the 
effect  on  the  audience,  but  not  of  God  manifest  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ,  looking  forth  from  this  frame. 
Here  is  where  the  peculiar  difficulties  of  cultured 
Boston  lie.  Men  have  talked  of  frames,  the  way  they 
fit  the  picture,  their  color,  the  spots  on  them,  and 
think  they  have  displayed  a  fine  taste.  They  talk 
much  of  books  written  about  God,  of  theories  about 
God,  and  have  been  proud  of  the  display  of  culture. 
We  have  talked  little  of  the  Holy  Being  whom  we 


The  Cry  for  a  Cleansed  Heart.  123 

need  to  cleanse  our  hearts,  because  that  involves  self- 
abasement.  We  have  been  critics  of  frames,  and  have 
boasted  of  it.  Oh,  if  you  will  look  earnestly  at  the 
picture,  you  will  find  a  healing  balm  for  bruised,  soiled 
hearts,  and  the  frame  will  fade  from  sight.  Our  habits 
of  criticism  are  a  cankerous  vice  in  society,  eating  out 
the  heart  of  truth.  We  have  picked  out  the  bones 
and  left  the  meat,  till  God  has  sent  us  leanness  of 
soul.  The  husks  of  criticism  are  swine's  food.  Chris- 
tians stand  in  the  way  of  thousands  coming  to  God  to 
be  cleansed  by  calling  attention  away  from  the  picture 
to  the  frame.  We  ask  too  often,  "How  do  you  like 
Moody?"  and  too  seldom,  "How  much  do  you  love 
Jesus  Christ?"  God  never  meant  that  his  ministers 
should  be  perfect.  "We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen 
vessels,  that  the  excellency  of  the  power  may  be  of 
God  and  not  of  us."  The  vessel  that  God  honors  let 
us  honor,  and  get  treasure  from  it. 

We  spend  too  much  time  discussing  the  different 
methods  of  Christian  work,  while  our  hearts  are  un- 
cleansed.  It  is  like  giving  a  keynote  in  music.  One 
takes  a  note  from  one,  another  from  another.  All  try 
their  voices  by  each  other :  and  then,  when  we  under- 
take to  sound  the  same  chord,  what  a  discord  there  is ! 
But  let  each  one  go  alone  to  the  organ,  and  take  his 
keynote;  then  when  we  come  together,  there  is  har- 
mony. Oh,  friends,  let  us  not  be  getting  our  soul- 
music  from  each  other.  Let  each  go  with  his  own 


124  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

sinful  heart  to  God,  and  offer  this  prayer  of  the 
text.  Then  there  will  be  harmony  in  our  opinions 
and  work. 

HI.  The  sins  of  others  are  in  the  way  of  our  coming 
to  God.  Here  I  must  be  brief.  This  is  a  common 
excuse.  "My  neighbor  professes  to  be  a  Christian, 
and  he  has  many  faults.  Therefore  I  am  going  to 
keep  my  own  heart  vile  and  uncleansed,  because  I 
judge  him  to  be  a  hypocrite." 

"  He  cannot  smell  a  rose,  but  pricks  his  nose 
Against  the  thorn,  and  rails  against  the  rose." 

Away  with  such  folly !  Is  he  to  judge  you,  that 
you  can  retort  on  him  at  the  judgment  ? 

The  best  of  us  are  turned  aside  by  stumbling  blocks ; 
and  the  Word  of  God  is  terribly  severe  on  those  who 
make  even  one  of  the  feeblest  to  offend.  But  if  we 
stumble  over  others,  the  fall  will  not  hurt  us  less 
because  they  were  in  the  way.  The  cry  of  each  one, 
who  knows  his  own  heart  at  all,  is  "  How  can  /  be 
clean  ?  " 

An  uncleansed  heart  is  a  vile  thing. 

Each  one  must  go  alone,  and  meet  God  alone,  with 
the  prayer  of  the  text  on  his  lips,  if  he  would  be 
cleansed. 

Infinite  love  has  provided  for  our  cleansing.  I  will 
not  offer  you  the  words  of  man,  at  this  solemn  mo- 


The  Cry  for  a  Cleansed  Heart.  125 

ment,  when  the  cry  goes  forth,  "  Create  in  me  a  clean 
heart."  But  there  rises  before  us  a  figure  of  One  not 
of  earth ;  he  holds  forth  in  his  hand  a  red  symbol ; 
and,  behold,  it  is  blood,  and  he  speaks  as  he  holds  it, 
"This  is  my  blood  of  the  New  Testament,  shed  for 
many  for  the  remission  of  sin's." 

God  might  justly  cast  us  from  his  presence.  What 
a  glorious  thing  that  we  can  be  cleansed ! 

A  clean  heart  that  is  a  cleansed  heart,  and  there  is 
no  other,  is  powerful  to  convert  men. 

Many  say,  "I  never  could  talk  with  others  about 
their  salvation ;  I  am  not  qualified."  I  know  it.  I 
do  not  ask  you  to  do  it.  But  each  can  get  his  own 
heart  cleansed.  This  precious  truth  is  for  you.  You 
can  put  aside  every  sin,  shut  out  all  the  imperfections, 
all  the  sins  of  others,  and  come  penitently  before  God 
to  be  cleansed.  You  can  renew  that  prayer  hourly. 
It  is  your  privilege ;  for  we  hourly  need  the  answer. 

I  will  not  urge  one  who  has  done,  and  is  doing  this, 
to  work  for  others;  to  expose  his  imperfections  to 
others'  criticism.  Once  let  the  Spirit  fill  the  heart 
that  is  emptied  of  self,  and  it  will  find  and  occupy  the 
place  to  which  God  calls  it. 

Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  0  God ! 


GOD'S  CONTROVERSY  WITH  HIS  PEOPLE, 


BY  ALEXA!0>EB  H.   VINTON,  D.  D. 


The  Lord  hath  a  controversy  with  his  people.  —  Micah  vi.  3. 

THE  prophet  Micah,  proclaiming  the  Messiah,  pre- 
pares his  way  to  the  hearts  and  minds  of  Israel  by  a 
solemn  reproof :  "  Hear  ye  now  what  the  Lord  saith. 
Arise,  contend  thou  "before  the  mountains,  and  let  the 
hills  hear  thy  voice.  Hear  ye,  0  mountains,  the  Lord's 
controversy,  and  ye  strong  foundations  of  the  earth; 
for  the  Lord  hath  a  controversy  with  his  people  and 
he  will  plead  with  Israel." 

Startling,  indeed,  is  the  summons  when  the  Almighty 
comes  out  in  his  distinct  personality,  and  calls  upon 
man  as  a  moral  agent  to  stand  up  and  answer  his  com- 
plaint. Impressive,  indeed,  is  the  transaction  in  which 
Jehovah  lays  aside  his  sovereignty  for  the  while,  and 
meets  his  creature  face  to  face  and  tells  him  to  justify 
or  condemn  himself  out  of  his  own  mouth.  And 
solemn,  too,  is  the  scene  where  the  universe  attends 
that  trial,  and  even  the  inanimate  things  are  endowed 
with  hearing  and  a  mind,  as  assessors  in  that  judg- 

126 


God's  Controversy  with  His  People.        127 

ment.  Even  the  dull  earth  listens,  and  the  mountains 
and  the  hills,  from  summit  to  summit,  shall  echo  the 
verdict  round  the  world.  Alas  !  for  that  Christless 
soul  who  shall  be  cast  in  that  lawsuit.  That  witness- 
ing earth  still  listens  —  those  creatures  of  God  still 
live. 

The  Almighty  has  known  no  change.  The  judg- 
ment still  waits.  The  Lord  has  still  a  controversy 
with  his  people.  The  millennium  is  not  yet.  I  would 
bring  this  thought  down  to  our  time,  and  to  this  con- 
gregation, that  there  is  an  issue  pending  between  God 
and  your  souls,  on  which  hinges  nothing  less  than 
divine  sovereignty  and  human  salvation.  It  is  by  no 
means  the  pleasantest  part  of  a  minister's  duty  to  tell 
his  people  so.  Sweeter  far  are  the  emotions  with 
which  he  stands  up  and  proclaims  in  the  assembly  the 
message  of  mercy;  to  tell  how  that  mercy  waits  to 
bless  ;  to  show  that  Mount  Calvary  overtops  the 
heaped-up  guilt  of  men,  and  that  the  blood-stains  of 
the  Cross  are  not  yet  covered  and  obscured  by  their 
clouds  of  sins.  But  it  sometimes  happens  that  when 
mercy  is  a  familiar  thought  it  grows  to  seem  too  easy, 
seeming  only  mere  mercy,  and  willful  sinners  and  care- 
less Christians  lap  their  souls  upon  it  and  go  to  sleep. 
And  then  it  becomes  necessary  to^  mention  in  the 
people's  ears  that  grace  has  conditions,  that  grace  sup- 
poses a  controversy,  and  to  tell  what  that  controversy 
is.  It  is  plain  enough  at  first  sight  that  it  is  a  con 


128  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

versy  in  which  the  advantage  is  very  unequally  divided. 
It  is  a  controversy  between  power  and  weakness,  be- 
tween wisdom  and  folly;  a  controversy  between  au- 
thority on  the  one  hand  and  willfulness  on  the  other ; 
and  finally,  since  God  is  good,  it  must  be  a  controversy 
between  right  and  wrong. 

This  view  of  the  question  makes  our  case  eminently 
bad.  But  it  shows,  at  least,  the  amazing  importance 
of  the  quarrel.  Whatever  be  the  subjects  of  differ- 
ence between  God  and  men,  nothing  can  be  more  full 
of  solemn  moment  than  the  difference  itself.  And  let 
me  add  that  although  the  advantage  seems  thus  all  on 
one  side,  this  controversy  was  not  of  God's  seeking. 

It  is  often  the  case,  that  conscious  power  and  secu- 
rity beget  a  superciliousness  which  is  the  most  stinging 
provocative  to  a  quarrel.  Modesty  and  weakness  are 
sometimes  stirred  up  to  virtuous  rebellion  against  the 
superiority  which  is  grown  too  arrogant  to  be  borne. 
But  this  controversy  was  not  so  provoked.  God  did 
not  make  man  to  quarrel  with  him,  but  to  bless  him 
in  his  body  and  soul ;  to  nurse  him  with  the  joys  of 
heaven;  to  exercise  him  for  the  life  of  heaven,  and  to 
lead  him  there  —  and  man  would  not.  This  is  the  true 
position  of  the  question.  And  yet  let  me  add,  in  the 
third  place,  that  although  it  was  not  sought  nor  in- 
vented by  our  great  God,  this  controversy  is  mutual. 

There  are  complaints  and  charges  on  either  side, 
which  must  be  abandoned  by  one  party  or  the  other 


God's  Controversy  with  His  People.         129 

before  they  can  come  together  in  peace.  There  is  no 
room  for  compromise.  There  are  no  equal  interests 
to  claim  a  mutual  concession  by  both  parties.  They 
meet  in  open  contradiction.  The  one  party,  full  of 
love,  and  wisdom,  and  parental  tenderness,  had  pre- 
scribed the  way  of  peace  and  prosperity  to  man,  and 
then  said,  Do  this,  and  thou  shalt  live.  The  other 
party,  no  less  full  of  impatience  and  self-will,  replied, 
"  I  will  not  do  it,  if  I  die."  To  justify  his  impatience, 
man  brings  accusations  against  God.  To  vindicate  his 
goodness,  God  replies  to  these  complaints,  and  so  a 
formal  issue  is  made,  and  this  is  the  quarrel  which  is 
to  be  arbitrated  before  the  universe,  if  it  be  not  sooner 
tried  at  the  bar  of  each  man's  conscience,  and  adjusted 
at  the  mercy-seat.  And  what  are  these  grounds  of 
accusation  ?  How  do  we  men  undertake  to  criminate 
the  Most  High  ?  Do  not  start  at  the  expression,  nor 
refuse  it,  until  you  have  entered  into  your  own  hearts 
and  read  the  meaning  of  your  most  secret  thoughts 
of  God. 

What  are  those  common  complaints,  uttered  or  un- 
uttered  by  man,  according  as  he  is  bold  or  timid,  which 
form  the  matter  of  this  great  controversy.  My  breth- 
ren, I  might  say  that  these  complaints  go  to  the  whole 
extent  of  God's  relations  to  this  world.  They  embrace 
all  the  varied  manifestations  of  the  divine  character. 
Never  did  heaven  come  near  the  earth,  but  the  earth 
found  fault  with  it ;  or  God  speak  to  man,  but  man 


130  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

found  something  in  the  matter,  or  the  manner,  to  criti- 
cise, something  that  was  either  unreasonable  or  in  bad 
taste.  As  we  cannot  specify  all  the  divine  manifesta- 
tions, we  classify  them  into  these  —  the  divine  law, 
divine  providence,  and  the  divine  grace  of  the  Gospel. 
Let  that  man,  who  has  never  quarreled  with  each  and 
all  of  these,  stand  up  and  avouch  his  guiltlessness, 
and  God  will  answer  him,  God  will  crown  him  or  con- 
vince him. 

First — The  first  great  subject  of  controversy  is  the 
divine  law.  Men  quarrel  with  its  letter  and  with  its 
spirit.  Men  dispute  its  specifications  and  its  general- 
izations. Its  specifications  are  in  the  Decalogue, 
beginning  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  God  besides 
me,"  and  ending  with  "  Thou  shalt  not  covet."  And 
what  article  of  the  Decalogue  has  been  unresisted  by 
what  man?  Its  generalizations  are  in  that  revised 
law  which  embodies  the  whole  life  of  religion,  "  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind.  This  is  the 
first  and  great  commandment.  And  the  second  is  like 
unto  it,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
And  who  of  us  all  can  lay  his  hand  on  his  heart,  and 
say,  That  law  is  in  me,  a  part  of  my  nature,  written  on 
my  heart.  I  love  it  like  my  life.  My  best  and  hap- 
piest life  is  to  obey  it.  Look  around,  and  mark,  and 
learn,  my  brethren.  Here  is  a  man  of  business,  and 
full  of  business.  He  has  a  passion  that  rules  him, 


God's  Controversy  with  His  People.         131 

absorbs  him,  night  and  day,  namely,  to  be  rich,  not  to 
support  his  family  merely,  not  to  serve  God  with  his 
wealth  chiefly ;  but  to  support  his  family  in  more  ex- 
pensive luxury,  and  to  serve  God  and  charity,  subor- 
dinately  and  incidentally.  He  means  not  to  neglect 
either,  but  one  thing  he  means  above  all  others,  to  be 
rich,  if  he  can,  and  for  the  sake  of  being  rich.  And 
this  is  idolatry  as  much  as  if  he  should  carve  out  his 
ruling  passion  in  solid  gold,  and  call  it  Mammon,  and 
burn  incense  before  it.  He  does  burn  incense  to  it. 
For,  from  his  heart,  which  is  an  altar,  —  for  every 
human  heart  is  an  altar,  which  sends  up  its  tribute  to 
some  god  or  other,  hot  and  reeking  with  the  fumes  of 
its  strongest  loves, — from  his  covetous  heart  rises  an 
incense  of  desire  and  devotion,  whose  unspoken  mean- 
ing is,  "  Gold,  thou  art  blessed,  bless  me  with  thy 
gifts."  He  could  not  say  more  to  the  God  of  gods. 
He  does  not  say  so  much. 

Look  around  you  again.  Here  is  the  politician, 
seeking  not  fame,  not  that  surviving  fame  which  out- 
lives nations,  built  on  moral  heroism,  despising  the 
clamor  of  present  praise,  for  the  sake  of  eternal  right 
and  truth,  but  seeking  simply  office,  the  mere  badge 
which  fame  sometimes  wears.  For  this  badge,  this 
gewgaw  to  draw  wondering  eyes,  what  does  he  sacri- 
fice ?  Time,  truth,  moral  consistency,  and  all  genuine- 
ness of  character ;  yea,  he  makes  a  whole  burnt  offering 
of  himself  and  his  sacred  being  to  the  demon  of  party, 


132  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

the  profanest  of  unholy  worship.  To  be  called  Rabbi! 
See  him  when  he  is  grown  old  and  great,  yet  never 
great  enough.  He  must  advance  from  one  Rabbi's 
seat  to  another,  and  if  he  cannot,  the  cankering  ambi- 
tion eats  into  his  soul's  pith,  and  makes  it  the  mere 
blasted  shell  of  a  soul.  His  consumed  life  has  been 
given  to  an  object  which  is  not  God,  but  a  god.  Look 
around  you  again.  Here  is  another  living  creature, 
living  for  the  excitement  of  what  is  called  pleasure. 
It  may  be  the  pleasure  of  fashionable  society,  idle 
pleasure,  or  the  deeper  excitements  of  passion,  gaming, 
licentiousness,  intemperance.  Harmless  as  some  of 
these  pleasures  are,  and  bad  and  unholy  the  others, 
yet  they  are  allied  in  their  principle.  They  all  make 
pleasure  the  aim  of  life,  killing  time  and  indulging 
self,  and  hence  they  are  apt  to  be  found  together  in 
one  circle  of  society,  borrowing  countenance  from 
each  other,  and  all  of  them  sanctioned  by  omnipotent 
fashion.  And  so  omnipotent  fashion  is  a  god.  Not  to 
be  more  specific,  take  any  or  all  of  these  examples, 
and  though  not  a  single  votary  of  wealth,  ambition,  or 
pleasure  may  openly  complain  of  God's  law,  yet  what 
say  their  lives  ?  Are  not  their  lives  a  living  daily  pro- 
test against  that  law?  Tell  them  what  Jesus  said, 
"  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart, 
and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,"  and  if 
the  man  of  business  do  not  content  himself  with  a 
shrug  of  contempt  at  your  simplicity  in  bringing 


God's  Controversy  with  His  People.        133 

religion  on  'Change,  and  if  the  politician  do  not  quietly 
sneer  at  your  holding  up  the  honors  of  heaven  against 
the  solid  emoluments  of  office,  and  complain  that  you 
join  church  and  state  together,  and  if  the  young  man 
and  woman  of  fashion  do  not  wonder  at  your  illiberal- 
ity,  and  turn  away  and  chase  some  new  fashion ;  if  they 
should  treat  the  subject  soberly,  and  answer  out  of 
their  hearts,  they  would  say,  "  Oh,  it  is  too  hard  to 
love  God  and  Christ  better  than  all  these.  It  is 
unnatural."  So  they  quarrel  with  the  first  and  great 
commandment  of  the  Law. 

Take  the  second  commandment,  "  Love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself."  To  know  whether  we  quarrel  with  it, 
see  how  we  act. 

To  learn  how  far  a  man  regards  his  neighbor's  inter- 
est, trade  with  him;  or  his  neighbor's  convenience, 
travel  with  him;  or  his  neighbor's  feelings,  let  him  be 
raised  a  little  above  him  in  fashion  and  popularity ;  or 
his  neighbor's  life,  see  him  in  a  shipwreck ;  or  a  neigh- 
bor's reputation,  be  present  when  that  neighbor  is  ab- 
sent and  witness  the  ingenious  dissection  which  brings 
out  his  seeming  faults  and  pares  down  his  good  quali- 
ties, or  underlays  them  with  bad  motives.  See  how  a 
tale  of  scandal,  or  only  a  suspicion  of  one's  virtue, 
floats  in  at  men's  ears  and  out  at  their  mouths,  till  it 
seems  to  be  the  very  atmosphere  of  the  city.  We 
know  it  would  not  be  so,  if  we  were  all  loving  brothers 
and  sisters  together.  And  not  behaving  like  brothers 


134  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

and  sisters,  we  quarrel  with  the  great  law  of  God  and 
Christ  in  our  hearts  and  lives.  And  now  what  is  the 
answer  of  God  in  heaven  to  these  common  complaints 
of  men  ?  for  here  lies  the  controversy.  "  You  are  my 
creatures  and  I  your  sovereign.  I  had  and  still  have 
a  right  to  you,  body  and  soul.  If  I  make  a  law,  you  , 
ought  to  obey  it."  He  might  stop  here  and  we  should 
be  dumb.  But  he  adds,  "  That  law  is  the  type  and 
form  of  my  own  character — the  character  of  the  love- 
liest and  best;  you  quarrel  with  an  eternal  excellency." 
He  goes  on:  "That  law  is  the  rule  and  method  of 
perfect  peace.  If  it  were  universally  obeyed,  would 
not  earth  be  Paradise  again  ?  It  is  likewise  the  way 
of  immortal  life — was  meant  to  guide  you  to  glory. 
You  refuse  your  salvation.  I  cannot  bear  to  see  you 
die,  and  so  I  plead  with  you  in  controversy  against 
your  own  wrong.  Plead  with  me,"  he  says:  "Let  us 
reason  together."  "  Give  ear,  0  ye  mountains,  and 
let  the  hills  hear  thy  voice."  And  while  this  part  of 
the  controversy  stands  recorded  for  trial,  let  us  pass 
to  the  next  complaint  of  man  towards  God,  for  he  no 
more  acquiesces  in  divine  providence  than  he  assents 
to  the  divine  law,  —  the  providence  of  God,  that  tan- 
gled web  in  which  we  can  trace  no  steady  lines  of 
purpose,  but  only  chance  and  confusion.  Looking 
upon  it  at  large,  man  sees  nothing  but  arbitrary  will 
and  inequality :  here  all  light,  and  that  the  brightest, 
and  there  all  gloom  of  melancholy  depth. 


God's  Controversy  with  His  People.         135 

One  nation  is  civilized,  another  cannibalized;  and 
for  no  apparent  reason.  One  race  is  progressive  in 
all  ennobling  attainments ;  another  hopelessly  unteach- 
able.  And  in  a  nearer  view,  the  complexity  is  worse. 
Health,  wealth,  talent,  power,  are  the  born  attributes 
of  this,  —  and  wretchedness,  with  all  the  wants  which 
perpetuate  it,  the  heritage  of  that  man;  and  this  is 
the  ground  of  complaint.  The  poor  pine,  because  the 
rich  revel.  The  rich  rebel,  because  wealth  cannot  buy 
health  and  domestic  peace.  The  widow  murmurs,  be- 
cause God  hath  taken  away  the  right  arm  that  sup- 
ported her.  The  father,  because  his  son,  in  whom  he 
expected  to  live  over  again,  is  gone  first.  The  man 
who  has  lost  his  fortune  and  cannot  begin  to  toil  up 
the  hill  of  enterprise  again,  sorrows  with  many  a 
surging  feeling  of  angered  pride ;  and  vanity,  disap- 
pointed, is  turned  from  a  mere  weakness  into  a  sour 
passion,  because  its  beauty  has  faded,  or  its  talents 
been  slighted,  or  its  great  friends  have  cast  it  off. 
Almost  as  various  as  the  facts  of  history  are  our 
complaints  of  Divine  Providence.  Scarcely  anything 
satisfies  us. 

Listen  to  the  wise  plea  of  the  all-wise  Disposer  of 
things :  "  Thou  murmurest  at  my  dispensations.  Dost 
thou  not  know  that  I  smite  and  wound  in  order  to 
heal?  and  if  sorrow  comes  twice  or  thrice,  it  is  be- 
cause you  would  heal  your  own  wounds  falsely,  and  I 
tear  them  open  to  heal  them  from  the  bottom  ?  If  I 


136  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

snatched  away  the  gay  wife,  was  it  not  to  save  the 
mourning  widow  ?  If  I  snatched  away  the  jewel  son, 
was  it  not  to  endow  the  father  with  the  manliest  vir- 
tue—  submission  to  his  Father — and  save  him  from 
idolatry?  If  I  made  you  poor,  was  it  not  because 
prosperity  is  not  a  means  of  grace,  and  it  is  hard  for 
the  rich  man  to  be  poor  in  spirit  enough  to  gain  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  ?  If  I  spoiled  your  beauty,  or  put 
a  bar  in  the  way  of  your  talents,  and  defeated  your 
social  ambition  or  your  political,  remember  it  was  that 
you  might  find  a  friend  who  was  more  than  an  admirer, 
and  'an  honor  that  cometh  from  above."  Let  your  con- 
science weigh  this  divine  argument,  my  brethren,  for 
it  will  be  weighed  in  the  balances  of  the  sanctuary, 
when  the  Lord's  controversy  is  settled  for  eternity. 

And  now,  once  more,  and  finally,  God's  creatures 
quarrel  with  his  grace  and  Gospel,  and  this  is  the 
spirit  and  meaning  of  their  complaint:  "Are  the  vir- 
tuous no  better  than  the  vile,  that  they  must  both  be 
saved  by  one  method,  and  that  method  humiliation? 
Does  it  require  atoning  blood  to  wash  clean  the  souls 
of  high  and  low  .alike  ?  Will  not  my  honorable  deal- 
ing, and  my  reverence  for  religion,  save  me  from 
stooping  down  to  that  low  level  where  the  wretched 
congregate  when  they  ask  for  salvation?  Are  we 
both  to  be  saved  by  mercy,  neither  of  us  by  merit  ? 
Do  we,  whose  lives  are  so  correct,  need  new  hearts?" 

Such   is   the   plausible   criticism  of  refined  circles 


God's  Controversy  with  His  People.         137 

against  the  abasing  doctrines  of  the  Saviour  God. 
They  contest  them  at  every  point.  They  refuse  the 
Cross  and  the  Crucified,  and  they  complain  not  loud, 
but  deep.  And  God  answers  them  from  on  high,  "  I 
have  done  all  I  can.  Heaven  and  earth  bear  witness. 
I  can  no  more.  Sinners  by  birth  and  practice  both, 
when  you  had  broken  my  law,  and  had  no  escape 
from  doom,  I  made  my  Gospel,  gave  my  Son,  sent 
my  Spirit,  have  waited,  am  waiting,  and  because 
in  iny  kind  providence  I  have  saved  you  from  the 
accidents  of  poverty  and  temptation,  you  think  your- 
selves too  good  and  high  to  accept  my  dearest  gift — 
that  gift  which  exhausted  my  power  to  save."  Each 
of  your  objections  betrays  its  origin  in  hateful  pride. 
There  is  no  way  to  save  you  but  by  humiliation,  and 
humbled  you  will  not  be. 

I  know  not  how  this  divine  argument  affects  you, 
but  it  seems  to  me  to  shut  every  mouth,  and  place 
the  offending  soul  where  it  will  stand  at  last,  shorn  of 
excuse.  This  obedient  universe  may  well  be  sum- 
moned to  attest  the  righteousness  of  the  Most  High ; 
but,  oh,  when  the  trial  comes,  there  will  be  a  felt 
witness  in  the  sinner's  own  hopeless  soul  that  equity 
and  justice  are  the  habitation  of  God's  seat.  The 
issue  is  made  up.  The  trial  only  waits  for  the  signal. 
We  none  of  us  know  when  that  signal  shall  strike. 
But  this  we  are  assured  of,  that  if  any  man  carries  this 
controversy  to  his  death-bed,  his  last  pulse  beats  the 


138  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

knell  of  hope  to  him  forever.  But,  thanks  to  infinite 
grace,  the  last  pulse  has  not  beat  yet.  The  signal  of 
judgment  has  not  struck,  but  only  the  Sabbath  sum- 
mons of  mercy.  "Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet, 
they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow;  though  they  be  red 
like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  Happy  the  soul 
that  has  become  reconciled  through  the  Cross,  that 
walks  in  the  light  of  God,  and  by  daily  divine  com- 
munion and  holiness  attests  that  the  controversy 
abides  no  more,  but  only  the  beauty  and  blessedness 
of  friendship  with  God. 


GOD  A  CONSUMING  FIEE. 


BY  EEV.   A.   J.   GORDON. 


For  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire.  —  Heb.  xii.  20. 

BY  a  very  natural  antithesis  we  have  become  accus- 
tomed to  set  this  definition  of  Jehovah,  "  Our  God  is  a 
consuming  fire/'  over  against  that  other  one,  "  God  is 
love,"  as  indicating  the  two  opposite  poles  of  the  divine 
nature.  But  perhaps  the  definitions  are  rather  identi- 
cal than  antithetical.  The  same  fire  that  burns  and 
consumes,  also  warms  and  illuminates.  The  same  love 
that  comforts  and  caresses,  also  chastens  and  afflicts. 
What  if  we  say  then  that  God  is  love  —  a  love  which 
burns  and  chastens  us  when  we  abuse  it;  and  which 
gladdens  and  blesses  us  when  we  obey  it  ?  We  shall 
then  avoid  the  misconception  into  which  we  so  con- 
stantly fall,  that  God's  punishments  are  the  result  of 
his  justice  alone,  while  his  mercies  are  the  issue  of  his 
love.  There  are  distinct  and  different  attributes  in- 
deed in  the  character  of  God.  But  it  may  be  that 
these  are  all  resolvable  into  the  one  underlying  and 

139 


140  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

primary  attribute  of  love,  even  as  the  colors  of  the 
rainbow,  when  blended,  resolve  themselves  back  into 
the  original  and  colorless  white.  At  all  events,  we 
have  constantly  in  the  Scriptures  the  illustration  of 
attributes  issuing  in  their  opposites.  "Whom  the 
Lord  loveth,  he  chasteneth" — love  punishing.  "He 
is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins" — justice 
pardoning.  And  so  we  learn  that  we  have  no  right  to 
imagine  that  God  has  ceased  from  his  love  because  he 
afflicts  us,  or  that  he  has  ceased  from  his  justice 
because  he  forgives  us.  He  is  one,  and  indivisible  in 
his  actions,  as  he  is  one  in  his  being.  He  does  what  he 
does,  with  the  consent  of  all  his  nature;  and  the  most 
opposite  and  irreconcilable  manifestations  of  his  provi- 
dence, as  they  seem  to  us,  all  harmonize  no  doubt  with 
him  in  the  unisons  of  perfect  love.  The  musician, 
with  the  full  melody  in  his  mind,  touches  now  a  very 
soft  and  limpid  note,  and  now  a  very  stern  and  rugged 
one,  in  bringing  out  that  melody.  And  so  it  is  in  the 
oratorio  of  Divine  Providence.  As  the  spirit  rehearses 
it  by  the  mouth  of  David  we  hear  such  strains  as  these : 
"To  him  that  smote  Egypt  in  their  first  born — for  his 
mercy  endureth  forever.  To  him  which  smote  great 
kings — for  his  mercy  endureth  forever.  And  slew 
famous  kings — for  his  mercy  endureth  forever."  And 
strange  and  almost  incongruous  as  the  refrain  may 
seem  to  us,  we  are  sure  there  can  be  no  inharmony. 


Go d  a  Consuming  Fire.  141 

Seeking  now  our  interpretation  of  the  text  directly 
from  the  Scriptures,  we  have  these  lessons : 

I.  The  inapproachable  holiness  of  God. 

Jehovah  first  revealed  himself  to  Moses  in  the  burn- 
ing bush — "the  bush  that  burned  with  fire,  and  was 
not  consumed."  And  as  his  servant  turned  aside  to 
see  this  great  sight,  the  Lord  called  unto  him  out  of 
the  midst  of  the  bush,  and  said,  "Draw  not  nigh 
hither,  put  off  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the 
place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground."  Had 
Moses  come  nigh,  we  may  believe  that  he  would  have 
been  consumed,  as  Nadab  and  Abihu  were,  for  their 
sacrilege,  when  "  there  went  out  fire  from  the  Lord  and 
devoured  them."  This  seems  to  be  the  lesson.  The 
holiness  of  God,  self-originated  and  self-sustained, 
glows  on  forever  like  a  fire.  It  is  unconsumed  itself, 
for  there  is  nothing  in  it  that  can  be  destroyed.  But 
the  unholy  man  would  kindle  and  waste  before  it  like 
the  stubble,  were  he  to  approach  it. 

And  in  saying  this,  I  do  not  utter  a  merely  mystical 
and  inexplicable  saying.  In  the  sphere  of  morals, 
purity  is  just  as  scorching  and  caustic  in  its  action 
upon  impurity,  as  a  flame  is  upon  fuel.  The  sanctity 
of  a  truly  consecrated  man  is  an  annoynace  to  his  un- 
consecrated  neighbor ;  and  to  his  godless  and  impure 
neighbor  a  positive  torment,  if  he  is  compelled  for  any 
time  to  endure  it.  There  is  more  than  mere  con- 


142  The  Gospel  Invitation. 


trariety  between  sin  and  righteousness,  there  is  an 
antagonism  which  tends  to  mutual  repulsion  or  exter- 
mination. If  water  is  thrown  upon  fire,  either  the 
fire  will  be  put  out  or  the  water  will  be  vaporized, 
according  to  the  relative  strength  of  the  elements. 
And  if  sin  comes  in  contact  with  holiness,  it  will  either 
quench  that  holiness  or  be  itself  consumed  and  over- 
powered by  it.  And  it  is  in  this  sense,  I  believe,  that 
it  is  true  that  the  holiness  of  God  is  a  consuming  fire. 
Not  that  there  is  any  heat  of  vindictive  anger  in  it; 
not  that  it  is  surcharged,  like  the  thunder-cloud,  with 
the  elements  of  destruction,  ready  at  any  moment  to 
leap  forth  and  smite  the  wicked.  But  that  it  is  so 
intrinsically  and  eternally  opposed  to  sin,  that  it  must 
scorch  and  wither  that  sin  when  it  is  brought  in  con- 
tact with  it. 

And  I  am  sure  that  this  is  a  most  important  lesson 
for  us  to  learn.  The  sin  of  the  age  is  irreverence. 
There  is  little  putting  off  of  the  shoes  of  worldliness 
and  unspirituality,  in  coming  into  the  presence  of  the 
Most  High.  With  what  light  familiarity,  with  what 
flippant  and  presumptuous  freedom,  we  approach  the 
King  of  purities.  The  doctrine  of  the  infinite  paternity 
of  God  beguiles  many  into  a  most  unfilial  liberty ;  and 
they  who  are  by  nature  "  the  children  of  wrath  "  hesi- 
tate not  to  climb  upon  the  knee  of  their  Heavenly 
Father  before  they  have  been  washed  or  sanctified  by 
his  Spirit,  and  to  touch  with  unclean  hands  his  feet 


God  a  Consuming  Fire.  143 

which  are  "  like  unto  fine  brass,  as  if  they  burned  in 
a  furnace."  We  cannot  dwell  too  much  upon  the  be- 
liever's privilege  to  say,  "Abba  Father;"  but  neither 
can  we  remember  too  carefully  or  fearfully  that  only 
he  that  hath  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart  can  ascend 
unto  the  hill  of  the  Lord  or  stand  in  his  holy  place. 
Behold  the  priest  about  to  enter  within  the  curtain  of 
the  tabernacle.  First  he  must  come  to  the  altar, 
where  lies  the  sacrificial  victim;  then  to  the  laver, 
wherein  is  the  water  for  making  clean  the  hands. 
Only  thus  atoned  for  and  washed  could  he  enter  within 
the  holy  place  and  look  upon  the  bright  and  burning 
cherubim.  And  were  these  types  only  meaningless 
symbols,  think  you — the  shadows  of  facts  and  require- 
ments that  have  ceased  now  that  grace  has  superseded 
law  ?  Nay !  holiness  and  the  requirements  of  holiness 
are  alike  unchangeable  from  age  to  age.  Look  up  to 
the  true  Tabernacle  —  the  Holy  of  Holies — in  the 
heavens ;  and  then  listen  to  the  solemn  words  of  the 
Apocalypse:  "And  before  the  throne  was  there  a  sea 
of  glass  like  unto  crystal."  The  laver  of  the  heavenly 
tabernacle  is  there,  —  the  brazen  sea  of  the  upper 
temple,  telling  by  glowing  symbol  what  is  elsewhere 
declared  in  literal  and  solemn  language,  that  "there 
shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  that  place  anything  that 
defileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketh  abomination  or 
maketh  a  lie."  And  we  are  defiled  by  sin  and  there- 
fore must  be  cast  out,  unless  we  have  been  justified  by 


144  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

the  blood  of  Christ  and  sanctified  by  the  washing  of 
regeneration. 

Our  heaven,  let  us  never  forget,  depends  on  what 
we  are,  and  not  on  where  we  are.  And  I  fully  believe 
that  we  cannot  imagine  a  greater  punishment  for  an 
unholy  and  reprobate  soul  than  to  summon  it  into  the 
unveiled  presence  of  God.  To  have  the  Eternal  Eye 
forever  upon  him  —  that  eye  of  holiness  which  is  joy 
and  life  to  all  holy  things  —  would  be  to  him  a  flaming 
fire  of  punishment.  There  need  be  no  anger  in  that 
eye ;  only  the  beaming  vision  of  eternal  purity.  There 
need  be  no  flashes  of  divine  displeasure  in  it ;  only  the 
dazzling  whiteness  of  the  great  holy  soul  shining 
calmly  and  forever  forth.  And  yet  this  gaze  would 
be  intolerable  to  the  sinner.  It  is  in  the  very  nature 
of  things  that  it  should  be  so.  The  calm,  benignant 
face  of  Purity  is  as  terrible  as  a  tropic  sun  to  the 
naked  sinner.  "Oh,  whither  shall  I  go  from  thy 
spirit  ?  or  whither  shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence  ?  "  is 
his  cry.  Even  the  rapt  and  holy  Isaiah,  as  he  saw  the 
Lord  sitting  on  a  throne  high  and  lifted,  cried  "Woe 
is  me,  for  I  am  undone ;  because  I  am  a  man  of  un- 
clean lips  and  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people  of  un- 
clean lips :  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord 
of  Hosts."  It  is  the  pain  of  infinite  contrast.  As  the 
gleaming  flash  of  lightning  throws  into  strong  and 
startling  relief  the  objects  which  the  night  had  covered; 
as  the  sudden  entrance  of  the  sunlight  shows  that  the  air 


God  a  Consuming  Fire.  145 

0 

which  had  before  seemed  pure  now  is  mixed  and  turbid 
with  the  motes  that  float  in  it,  so  will  the  soul  of  the 
darkened  sinner  be  astonished  and  dismayed  as  by  one 
glance  of  his  burning  eyes,  the  Lord  shall  set  his  ini- 
quities before  him  and  his  secret  sins  in  the  light  of 
his  countenance.  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for 
they  shall  see  God."  The  purity  which  they  share  in 
common  with  him  who  is  the  source  and  centre  of  all 
pureness  will  be  as  a  pellucid  atmosphere,  revealing  to 
them  the  light  of  his  countenance,  and  yet  tempering 
and  assuaging  the  naked  fierceness  of  that  light,  that 
it  may  not  smite  them.  But  the  impure,  with  no  such 
protecting  or  revealing  medium,  will  be  dazzled  and 
struck  to  "earth  by  the  sight.  The  beatific  vision  of 
the  pure  will  be  to  them  a  vision  of  terror.  Oh ! 
friends,  how  can  we  stand  before  God  unless  we  have 
Christ  for  a  shield  and  covering?  The  sight  of  his 
burning  face  is  enough  to  overwhelm  us.  How  sig- 
nificant that  saying  concerning  the  doom  of  Antichrist. 
No  fiery  darts  are  shot  at  him  from  the  battlements 
of  heaven.  No  flaming  sword  of  vengeance  is  drawn 
against  him.  The  Lord  simply  shows  himself  to  him 
in  his  glory.  "Whom  he  shall  destroy  with  the 
brightness  of  his  coming." 

II.  We  may  infer  from  these  words  the  unsparing 
righteousness  of  God  in  making  atonement  for  sin. 

Recall  that  scene  in  the  tabernacle.      Moses  and 


146  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

Aaron  had  come  forth  and  blessed  the  people,  and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  had  appeared  to  them.  And  then 
the  record  proceeds,  "  there  came  a  fire  out  from  before 
the  Lord,  and  consumed  upon  the  altar  the  burnt  offer- 
ing and  the  fat;  which,  when  the  people  saw,  they 
shouted  and  fell  on  their  faces."  As  the  altar  sacrifice 
is  a  type  of  the  great  atonement,  is  not  this  event  the 
foreshadowing  of  what  happened  to  the  Lamb  of  God  ? 
Literally  was  he,  the  spotless  victim,  consumed  for  our 
transgressions,  as  the  burning  penalty  of  a  broken  law 
came  forth  upon  him  from  the  Father.  God  is  always 
God,  and  sin  is  always  sin.  And  as  certainly  as  the 
fire  must  scorch  the  fuel  with  which  it  comes  in  con- 
tact, so  certainly  must  the  righteous  judgment  of  God 
kindle  upon  iniquity  whenever  it  is  found.  Therefore 
when  "  he,  who  knew  no  sin,  was  made  sin  for  us,"  the 
burnings  of  divine  penalty  fell  upon  him,  till  he  was 
consumed  upon  the  altar  and  yielded  up  the  ghost. 
"  God  spared  not  his  own  son."  Nay,  though  with 
strong  crying  and  tears,  he  pleaded  that  he  might  be 
spared,  and  though  with  deathly  faintness  and  bloody 
sweat  he  shrunk  back  from  the  impending  blow,  yet 
God  spared  him  not.  Spared  him  not,  that  he  might 
spare  us.  As  the  rays  of  the  lurid  sun,  passing 
through  the  burning  glass,  leave  the  glass  untouched 
and  unaffected,  but  burn  and  scorch  the  object  in 
which  they  find  a  focus,  so  —  think  of  it,  oh,  ye  that 
esteem  sin  a  little  thing  —  the  burnings  of  God's  penalty 


God  a  Consuming  Fire.  147 

against  sin  were  not  restrained  or  softened  in  the  least, 

* 
but  they  passed  through  a  race  of   sinners,  leaving 

them  unscathed,  and,  lighting  on  him,  the  sinless  one, 
who  was  the  focal  man  of  our  humanity,  consumed 
him  unto  death  for  us.  I  know  not  why  it  need  be 
said  that  the  wrath  of  God  fell  on  Jesus  Christ.  Per- 
haps we  should  speak  as  truly  if  we  said  that  it  was 
only  the  kindlings  of  his  righteous  love  that  smote 
him.  I  ask  you  to  bring  together  two  sentences  from 
the  Bible,  and  tell  me  if  such  depths  in  the  mystery  of 
love  were  ever  touched  before.  "  This  is  my  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  "  Yet  it  pleased 
the  Lord  to  bruise  him."  Here  is  no  anger.  Here  is 
no  burning  of  vengeance  or  indignation.  It  is  love, 
but  a  love  so  righteous,  and  so  just,  that  it  is  pleased 
to  smite,  and  smites  the  one  in  whom  it  is  alone  and 
supremely  pleased.  It  is  a  great  mystery. 

Now  we  see  again  at  this  point  how  squarely  this 
doctrine  goes  against  the  current  sentiment  of  the  day 
respecting  God.  It  is  just  the  belief  that  God  is  not  a 
consuming  fire  that  holds  a  multitude  of  minds  in  easy 
irreligion  and  good-natured  self-complacency  to-day. 
There  may  be  some  fire  in  his  judgments,  it  is 
admitted.  But  it  is  held  in  check  by  his  gentleness. 
It  is  restrained  by  his  loving  kindness;  it  can  never 
kindle  upon  a  sinner  to  his  hurt.  It  cannot  be  a  con- 
suming fire,  for  the  sparsest  shower  of  tears  can  put  it 
out.  But  I  ask  you  to  look  not  into  the  world  of  the 


148  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

lost,  but  to  the  Cross  of  Christ,  and  learn  how  terribly 
God  punishes  sin,  and  how  consuming  his  judgments 
are  against  transgression.  In  our  estimate  the  guilt 
of  sin  is  lessened  according  to  the  degree  of  purity  of 
the  character  in  which  it  is  found.  We  are  inclined 
to  punish  leniently  the  offense  of  him  whose  life  has 
been  generally  correct.  But  when  sin  was  found  upon 
the  sinless  Son  of  God,  the  penalty  fell  just  as  heavily 
on  him  as  though  he  had  been  the  guiltiest  of  the  race. 
God,  who  in  the  beginning  declared  that  he  would 
"by  no  means  clear  the  guilty,"  cleared  not  his  Son 
when  the  iniquity  of  us  all  had  been  laid  upon  him, 
but  freely  delivered  him  up  for  us  all.  When  he  had 
made  the  soul  of  his  beloved  an  offering  for  sin,  it  be- 
came as  true  as  in  the  tabernacle.  "  There  came  a 
fire  out  from  before  the  Lord,  and  consumed  the  offer- 
ing upon  the  altar." 

I  dwell  upon  this  fact  not  to  impress  you  with  the 
severity  of  God,  but  to  make  you  see  the  inviolable 
justness  of  his  love.  From  the  Cross  we  hear  God 
saying,  "  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love." 
And  if,  looking  up,  we  ask,  "  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ?  " 
the  answer  comes,  "I  that  speak  in  righteousness, 
mighty  to  save."  "When  were  love's  arms  ever 
stretched  so  wide  as  on  the  Cross?"  and  the  roots  of 
the  Cross  are  embedded  in  the  deep  foundations  of 
eternal  justice.  God  punishes  that  he  may  forgive. 
He  burns  the  sacrifice 'to  ashes  on  the  holy  altar,  that 


God  a  Consuming  Fire.  149 

the  law,  at  length  satisfied,  satiated,  if  I  may  say  so, 
by  the  offering  of  the  spotless  Lamb,  may  speak  par- 
don to  him  who  has  broken  it.  And  thus  God  is 
severely  just,  that  he  may  be  the  justifier  of  him  that 
believeth. 

III.  The  words  of  my  text  teach  the  retributive 
justice  of  God  against  the  finally  incorrigible. 

"  For  the  Lord  thy  God  is  a  consuming  fire,  even  a 
jealous  God,"  are  the  solemn  words  with  which  Moses 
concludes  his  warning  to  the  children  of  Israel  against 
apostacy.  "The  Lord  was  angry  with  me  for  your 
sakes,"  he  said  to  them,  "  and  forbade  me  from  enter- 
ing into  the  promised  land."  "Take  heed  to  yourself, 
lest  ye  forget  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  your  God." 
And  well  may  we  take  warning.  If  God  spared  not 
his  beloved  Moses,  how  can  he  spare  us,  if  we  continue 
in  disobedience  ?  "  If  the  righteous  are  scarcely  saved, 
where  shall  the  sinner  and  the  ungodly  appear  ?  "  The 
Lord  has  a  holy  jealousy  against  sin,  that,  however  re- 
strained for  the  time,  must  at  last  go  forth  in  consum- 
ing terror  upon  evil-doers. 

We  have  no  lurid  delineation  of  hell  to  set  before 
you,  but  this  much  is  certain :  the  fire  must  sooner  or 
later  kindle  upon  all  wrong-doing.  Happy  are  we  if 
we  bring  our  sins  to  that  altar  where  the  Son  of  God, 
on  whom  our  iniquities  are  laid,  has  become  our  burnt 
offering,  that  we  might  be  spared  from  the  eternal 


150  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

burning.  And  even  here  I  dwell  not  upon  the  anger 
of  God  against  the  wicked.  How  do  we  know  but  his 
wrath,  as  we  call  it,  is  but  his  love  kindled  to  its  white 
heat  ?  Fire  burns  not  fire.  And  if  we  have  the  love 
of  the  Father  in  us,  kindling  into  ever-growing  ardor 
and  intensity  till  he  comes,  when  he  reveals  himself 
from  heaven,  in  flaming  fire,  we  shall  not  be  burned. 
The  fire  that  shall  fall  upon  an  unbelieving  world  with 
overwhelming  terror,  will  only  cause  his  saints  to  shine 
like  the  firmament  forever  and  ever. 

Let  me  now,  in  closing,  draw  just  the  lesson  from  my 
subject  which  is  found  in  connection  with  the  text: 
"  Let  us  have  grace  whereby  we  may  serve  God  accept- 
ably with  reverence  and  godly  fear,  for  our  God  is  a 
consuming  fire." 

Do  you  reverence  God,  my  hearer  ?  I  do  not  mean 
by  your  bearing  and  postures  in  the  house  of  God.  I 
do  not  mean  by  your  devout  propriety  and  religious- 
ness in  your  treatment  of  Christian  subjects  and  cere- 
monies. These  are  the  mere  accidentals  of  reverence, 
signifying  very  little  of  themselves.  But  do  you  rev- 
erence him  so  much  that  you  shrink  from  coming  into 
his  presence  with  unrepented  and  unforgiven  sins  upon 
you  ?  That  is  the  most  searching  test.  Moses  dared 
not  draw  nigh  to  the  flaming  Jehovah.  But  with  an 
effrontery  which  is  as  characteristic  of  men's  religion 
as  of  their  manners  in  this  age,  there  are  those  who, 
without  a  scruple  and  with  no  shield  or  panoply  of 


God  a  Consuming  Fire.  151 

faith,  would  rush  into  that  presence  where  angels  fear 
to  tread.  Sin  is  no  hindrance;  lack  of  faith  is  no 
hindrance.  Want  of  spiritual  acquaintance  is  no  hin- 
drance. Nothing  is  more  appalling  than  this*  famil- 
iarity of  vaunting  unbelief.  I  tell  you,  if  you  have 
nothing  upon  you  but  the  sandals  of  a  self-righteous 
and  fleshly  boldness,  you  had  best  put  off  your  shoes 
from  your  feet,  and  stand  afar  off,  and  come  not  nigh 
until  you  have  had  "  your  feet  shod  with  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  gospel  of  peace." 

Do  you  fear  God,  my  hearer  ?  I  do  not  mean,  do 
you  sometimes  tremble  before  his  coming  judgment? 
Do  you  share  that  fearful  looking  for  of  the  indigna- 
tion that  shall  devour  the  adversaries?  That  is  but 
the  fear  of  a  slave,  the  terror  of  a  servant.  But  do 
you  fear  him  so  that  you  are  afraid  to  sin  before  him  ? 
or  that,  having  sinned,  instead  of  hiding  from  his 
presence  you  are  impelled  to  come  before  him  and 
confess  your  guilt,  that  he  may  cleanse  and  justify  you  ? 
If  not,  you  know  nothing  of  "  godly  fear."  The  fear 
of  God  is  one  thing ;  godly  fear  is  quite  another.  The 
one  is  the  dismay  of  terror :  the  other  is  the  filial  cau- 
tion of  love.  The  one  trembles  for  the  safety  of  self : 
the  other  is  solicitous  for  the  honor  of  Jehovah.  The 
one  cries  out,  "  Oh,  I  am  afraid  of  God ;  whither  can 
I  flee  to  escape  his  sight?"  the  other  says  in  those 
grand,  sweet  words  of  St.  Augustine,  "  I  am  afraid  of 
God,  therefore  I  will  run  to  his  arms." 


152  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

"Our  God  is  a  consuming  fire."  What  do  those 
words  mean  to  you,  my  hearer?  That  you.  having 
been  tried  like  gold  in  the  furnace  of  his  discipline, 
shall  be  found  unto  praise  and  honor  and  glory  at  his 
appearing  ?  Or  that  you  shall  be  only  like  the  chaff, 
burned  and  utterly  destroyed  by  contact  with  a  holy 
love  rejected,  with  a  Saviour  disbelieved,  with  a  spirit 
grieved  and  rejected? 


GOD  DISMISSED, 


BY  SAMUEL  L.   CALDWELL,  D.  D. 


Therefore  they  say  unto  God,  Depart  from  us;  for  we  desire  not  the 
knowledge  of  thy  ways.  — Job  xxi.  14. 


THERE  is  some  awful  centrifugal  tendency  in  the 
human  heart  carrying  it  away  from  God.  It  finds 
language  here.  It  is  the  wish  put  into  the  lips  of 
prosperous  wickedness.  "Wealth,  pleasure,  success,  all 
earthly  blessing  there  may  be,  and  yet  with  them  dis- 
like, forgetfulness  of  God,  —  even  on  account  of  them. 
Therefore,  says  Job,  they  say  unto  God,  Depart.  The 
connection  between  great  worldly  prosperity  and 
spiritual  ignorance,  and  utter  godlessness,  is  not  un- 
accountable, is  indeed  quite  natural.  They  do  not 
necessarily  go  together.  But,  with  much  or  little, 
this  ancient  poet  spoke  out  the  feeling  of  many  a 
man,  a  natural,  a  common,  I  may  say  a  universal, 
feeling  of  the  human  heart.  There  is  much  desire, 
seeking  after  God,  if  haply  it  may  find  him.  Let  us 
not  deny  that.  There  is  much  joy  over  the  knowl- 
edge of  him  and  his  ways.  Souls  there  are,  in 
J*  153 


154  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

churches,  in  multitudes,  to  whom  the  vision,  the 
knowledge  of  God,  is  the  great  joy  of  existence.  Let 
us  never  depreciate  the  actual  amount  of  religion, 
the  belief  in  a  living  God,  the  power  of  Christianity, 
which  prevails  in  spite  of  every  bad  influence,  against 
great,  perhaps  growing,  ungodliness.  But  neither 
let  it  be  forgotten  that  there  is  another  side.  That 
we  must  look  at.  "We  must  listen  to  the  voices  all 
around  which  are  saying,  Depart;  no  God  for  us. 
What  is  the  Almighty,  that  we  should  serve  him  ?  and 
what  profit  should  we  have  if  we  pray  unto  him? 
This  is  the  effort — it  manifests  itself  in  many  ways 
— to  put  God  as  far  off  as  possible,  out  of  thought, 
knowledge,  faith,  desire,  existence  even.  This  is  the 
spirit  of  many  a  man's  life,  of  much  social  custom, 
even  of  literature,  of  science.  It  is  God,  a  personal, 
living,  true,  present  God,  men  dislike,  exclude.  I  am 
not  anxious  to  make  out  a  bad  case  against  anybody, 
to  represent  people  as  worse  than  they  are.  Let 
everybody  have  credit  for  as  much  religion  as  he  has. 
But  after  that,  it  is  still  true  that,  consciously  or  un- 
consciously, there  is  the  attempt  to  separate  and  ex- 
clude God,  to  put  him  off  and  away;  if  not  utterly, 
then  as  far  as  possible. 

I  do  not  undertake  to  say  how  far  the  attempt  to 
exclude  God  from  nature  springs  from  moral  causes ; 
but  it  is  very  noticeable  that  there  is  this  scientific 
tendency.  It  is  the  effort  to  construct  a  theory  of  the 


God  Dismissed.  155 


universe  in  which  a  God  is  unnecessary.  It  is  the 
effort  to  discover  a  natural  origin  for  all  the  forms  of 
life;  to  trace  them  to  spontaneous  generation  rather 
than  divine  will;  to  endless  processes  of  evolution 
rather  than  to  the  creation  of  God.  There  are  scien- 
tific hypotheses  which  hold  a  God  in  reserve,  a  super- 
fluous Deity,  who  is  pushed  back  into  a  remote 
distance,  where  the  language  which  the  Hebrew 
Psalms,  which  Christian  feeling  applies  to  him,  is  ab- 
surd. Of  course,  God  is  not  a  subject  for  science,  which 
deals  with  phenomena.  God  is  not  at  the  end  of  the 
telescope,  or  the  microscope.  No  analysis,  no  dissec- 
tion, no  experiment,  pushed  however  far,  discloses 
God.  He  is  a  spirit,  not  to  be  apprehended  by 
science,  but  by  faith.  Science  is  not  to  blame  that  it 
is  not  religion;  that  it  confines  itself  to  the  facts  of 
the  universe,  their  origin  and  relations — if  it  only  did 
confine  itself  to  that.  But  suppose  that  through 
science,  through  whatever  theory,  by  whatever 
method,  a  man  succeeds  in  exiling  God  from  the 
world,  separating  nature  from  a  living  and  almighty 
Creator,  turning  nature  into  a  God,  knowing  no  other 
than  the  force  which  manifests  itself  in  all  life  —  so 
making  religion  impossible ;  so  saying  to  the  Almighty, 
Depart  from  us,  we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy 
ways, — he  is  doing  a  dreadful  wrong  to  his  soul. 
He  is  sacrificing  the  knowledge  of  God  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  his  works.  And  that  there  is  this  unbelieving, 


156  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

atheistic  tendency,  this  removing  God  farther  and 
farther  off,  this  substitution  of  nature,  its  forces,  laws, 
evolutions,  processes,  results,  for  God;  and  that  it 
goes  along  with  scientific  inquiry,  with  the  better 
knowledge  of  the  ways  of  God  in  nature,  which  it 
calls  nature's  own  ways,  is  evident  enough.  Faith, 
knowing  there  is  a  God,  comes  to  nature,  desiring  a 
knowledge  of  his  ways ;  and  rejoices  to  follow  them 
as,  dark  or  shining,  they  go  through  infinite  space. 
It  follows  his  paths  in  the  elder  world,  when  life  was 
first  moving  in  the  mists  of  creation's  morning.  It 
follows  them  in  the  orbits  of  stars  and  galaxies,  be- 
yond the  borders  of  the  day.  His  footsteps  are  in  the 
deep  waters,  and  on  the  mountain  tops,  and  there 
it  finds  them,  fossil  or  fresh,  alike  the  track  of  a  living 
God.  But  unbelief,  having  no  desire  for  him,  goes 
after  science,  into  every  corner  and  privacy  of  the 
universe,  to  find  it  occupied  with  all  signs  of  intelli- 
gence, of  will,  of  power,  but  no  God. 

Is  there  no  similar  tendency  in  regard  to  the  Bible, 
to  Christ;  no  disposition  to  exclude  God  from  that 
which  to  faith  is  a  revelation  from  him  ?  For  here  is 
this  great  fact  of  Christianity  in  the  world.  Here  is  a 
Book  full  of  God.  Here  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  full  of 
God.  And  what  is  to  be  done  ?  One  course  is  to  push 
it  all  as  far  away  as  possible,  to  keep  it  out  of  sight, 
out  of  thought,  in  the  realm  of  fiction ;  to  exclude  it 
with  God  himself.  Another  is  to  push  God  out  of  it, 


God  Dismissed.  157 


and  so  reduce  its  importance,  in  fact  destroy  its  truth. 
For  if  you  exclude  God  from  it  entirely ;  if  in  origin 
it  is  purely  human;  if  it  is  simply  a  human  view  of 
life,  a  human  speculation  about  the  future  ;  if  Jesus 
Christ  comes  from  himself,  and  not  from  God ;  if  you 
can  subtract,  can  expel,  all  divinity  from  the  Bible, 
it  has  no  force  for  the  conscience,  no  authority,  no 
controlling,  saving  influence  over  the  soul.  Either 
way,  this  is  the  difficulty,  the  objection.  It  is  to  God, 
to  God  dealing  with  sin  and  sinners.  Its  spirit,  its 
language  is,  Depart  from  us;  we  desire  not  the 
knowledge  of  thy  ways.  For  this  the  Bible  gives — 
knowledge  of  God  and  his  ways.  This  it  brings  home 
to  the  heart,  the  fact  that  there  is  a  God  with  whom 
we  have  to  do,  and  that  his  ways  are  not  as  our  ways. 
If  you  can  exclude  God  from  it,  silence  his  voice  in  it, 
make  it  the  voice  of  mere  ventriloquists  trying  to  imi- 
tate God,  then  its  power,  its  value,  is  gone — the  terror 
it  is  to  the  bad,  the  hope  it  is  to  the  good.  And  this 
is  the  attempt,  for  whatever  reason.  In  some  cases  it 
is  because  the  Bible  makes  a  man  uncomfortable  on 
account  of  conscious  unlikeness,  opposition  to  God. 
It  is  to  relieve  the  mind  from  a  presence  too  search- 
ing, too  pure.  It  is  to  escape  the  trouble  which  God's 
commandments  make.  It  is  the  spirit  which,  in  the 
old  time,  said,  Depart  from  us;  we  desire  not  the 
knowledge  of  thy  ways.  This  the  Bible  gives.  And 
this  sin,  unbelief  does  not  want. 


158  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

God  is  not  only  in  his  works  and  in  his  word,  but 
in  life,  and  this  spirit  would  exclude  him  from  that. 
The   Bible,  faith,   bring    God   near.      He   is   present 
everywhere.     All  things  are  under  his  control  and  his 
providence.     He  has  to  do  with  men.     It  is  not  for- 
tune, but  God.     He  kills  and  he  makes  alive.     He 
gives  and  he  takes  away.     He  is  dealing  with  men. 
He  rules.     He  has  not  set  the  world  going  and  left  it. 
He  is  not  a  dead  God,  an  absent  God.     He  is  not  im- 
potent or  indifferent.     His  eyes  are  in  every  place. 
His  power  is  upon  all  things.     Our  times  are  in  his 
hand.    -And  to  faith  his  providence  is  visible  every 
moment.     God  is  all  and  in  all.     Nothing  is  absent 
from  him.     Not  a  hair  falls  without  him.     No  change 
which  he  has  not  appointed.     But  how  easy  does  the 
spirit  of  the  text  find  it  to  remove  God  out  of  life  — 
to  separate  it  from  his  providence  ?     It  may  recognize 
a  fate,  an  awful  destiny,  an  unescapable  necessity  in 
life,  but  never  God.     For  a  time  it  may  feel  a  sort  of 
independence,  supremacy,  that  life  is  what  we  make 
it,  till  some  convulsion,  some  awful  reverse,  comes. 
Even  then  it  refuses  God,  the  God  of  love  and  truth, 
the  Heavenly  Father,  any  place.     It  is  a  dreadful  life 
to   live,  amidst  the   uncertainties,  the   dangers,  the 
losses,  at  the  mercy  of  so  many  forces  clashing  to- 
gether to  destroy  our  blessings  and  even  ourselves  in 
a  moment,  and  yet  no  God  to  care,  to  help.     And 
yet  some   prefer  this,  and   say  in  their   hearts,  De- 


God  Dismissed.  159 


part  from  us,  for  we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy 
ways. 

And  it  is  not  Providence  only — a  fatherly  inspection 
and  direction  on  the  part  of  God.  It  is  his  moral  rule. 
It  is  his  righteous  government.  It  is  his  holy  presence 
and  authority.  This  men  want  to  put  away  as  far  as 
possible ;  out  of  sight  at  least,  out  of  existence,  if 
they  could.  It  is  God  in  this  character,  doing  what 
such  a  character  requires ;  it  is  God  holding  us  up  to 
accountability,  revealing,  maintaining,  enforcing  a 
moral  law ;  it  is  God  dealing  with  men  on  principles 
of  justice,  drawing  the  lines  between  right  and  wrong; 
it  is  God  declaring  the  law  on  Sinai,  on  Calvary,  in  the 
high  places  of  the  soul ;  it  is  God  making  men  know 
their  sins,  know  his  wrath  against  iniquity ;  it  is  God 
not  only  revealing  but  enforcing  the  law,  the  God 
who  runs  out  actions  to  their  consequences,  who  not 
only  foretells  but  actually  brings  retribution ;  it  is  the 
pure  God,  the  punishing  God,  that  men  want  to  flee 
from,  want  to  depart  from  them.  That  story  of  Adam 
hiding  among  the  trees  of  Eden  with  conscious  guilt 
is  the  story  of  the  human  soul  forever  fleeing  from  the 
pursuing  sword  of  that  Holy  One  who  follows  it  in  all 
its  transgression.  It  cannot  bear  the  light,  and  shel- 
ters itself  from  God  as  best  it  can.  It  wants  to  keep 
God  anywhere  but  in  the  very  life  it  lives,  and  in  the 
secrets  of  an  evil  heart.  Strange  it  seems  that  this 
mysterious  soul,  coming  from  God,  most  like  him'  of 


160  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

anything  in  the  universe,  turns  its  back  and  flees  from 
him.  If  it  were  not  for  conscious  sin  it  would  fly  to 
his  embrace  and  want  to  know  him,  to  feel  his  touch, 
to  hear  him,  and  look  upon  him,  and  be  with  him. 
And,  indeed,  at  last  that  is  the  reason  why  it  does  go 
to  him  and  cling  to  him,  when  it  finds  that  he  can 
cure  it,  that  its  only  refuge  is  there,  and  that  his 
love  is  great  enough  to  cover  it,  and  pure  enough  to 
cleanse  it. 

For  there  is  again  the  grace,  the  Spirit  of  God,  com- 
ing into  life ;  the  only  hope  of  life  corrupted  and  lost. 
For  God  is  equally  present  with  law  and  love,  with 
retribution  and  remedy.  He  is  revealed  to  the  con- 
science as  its  disturbance  and  its  peace.  He  smites 
and  heals.  His  Spirit  pursues  the  human  soul  not  only 
with  dark  memories,  and  terrible  accusations,  and  fear- 
ful prophecies,  but  with  promise,  and  an  arresting, 
delivering  hand.  To  every  one  of  you  he  has  been 
so  revealed.  His  voice  has  been  heard  by  your  inner 
ear  in  many  a  tender,  thoughtful  hour,  and  it  has  been 
a  voice  of  love  rather  than  of  wrath.  It  has  said, 
Come  ;  and  you  have  said,  Depart.  It  has  said,  I  love 
you  with  everlasting  love  ;  and  you  have  responded,  I 
desire  not  a  knowledge  of  thy  ways.  God  has  come 
near  with  power  to  convert  your  heart,  to  melt  it  into 
penitence,  to  set  it  right,  to  turn  it  back  to  him ;  and 
you  have  repelled  him,  you  have  gone  away  from  him. 
I  am  not  using  the  abstract  language  which  tells  what 


God  Dismissed.  161 


may  be.  I  speak  directly  to  persons  who  have  moral 
natures ;  who  have  some  knowledge  of  God,  of  them- 
selves ;  who  know  enough  of  their  inward  life  to  re* 
member  these  visits  of  a  Spirit  which  has  flashed  the 
light  of  another  world  across  their  path,  and  made 
God  a  reality  for  a  time,  and  has  compelled  you  to 
wrestle  with  a  God  who  wanted  to  subdue  you  that  he 
might  help  you ;  whose  purpose  of  love  and  salvation 
was  in  his  eye  and  voice.  And  against  this  God  you 
have  striven ;  not  against  his  wrath,  but  his  pity  and 
his  mercy.  You  have  had  the  fearful  power  to  push 
him  back,  and  close  the  door,  and  shut  him  out.  It  is 
not  the  sword  of  justice  you  have  fled  from  alone.  It 
is  the  good  angel.  It  is  to  God  wanting  to  help  and 
save  you  that  you  have  said,  Depart ;  thy  way  I  will 
not  go  in ;  I  desire  not  to  know  it. 

Now,  the  reason,  the  philosophy  of  all  this  is  not 
hard  to  find.  It  lies  in  one  fact,  in  one  central,  con- 
trolling fact.  It  is  not  that  God  is  not  worth  know- 
ing ;  or,  as  the  agnostic  says,  that  he  cannot  be  known. 
It  is  not  that  the  human  mind  would  not  find  in  him 
something  greater,  more  satisfying,  than  in  his  works. 
It  is  not  that  human  souls  have  not  upward  aspirations. 
It  is  not  that  thought,  that  all  our  nobler  powers  would 
not  find  highest  employment  in  the  search  after  God. 
It  is  not  that  he  cannot  be  found,  or  that  when  found 
he  is  hard  and  hateful. 

No,  the  knowledge  of  God  and  his  ways  is  condemn- 


162  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

ing.  It  obliges  us  to  confess  ourselves  in  the  wrong. 
It  puts  us  at  moral  disadvantage.  It  creates  trouble. 
Left  alone  we  take  our  own  way,  and  have  no  fear. 
But  let  the  light  of  God  steal  into  the  heart ;  let  him 
surround  the  soul,  and  into  its  depths  go  from  all  sides 
the  condemnations  which  need  no  uttered  words  of 
his,  which  spring  up  in  the  conscience  at  the  very 
thought  of  his  presence,  at  the  very  sight  of  his  face. 
It  is  of  no  use.  You  may  resort  to  whatever  specula- 
tions you  will,  you  cannot  ignore  this  sober,  eternal 
fact  of  opposition  between  the  sinful  soul  and  God. 
Your  science  cannot  get  over  it.  There  is  something 
in  us  which  is  not  right,  not  at  peace  with  God.  No 
matter  what  you  call  it,  it  is  there.  And  as  long  as  it 
is  there,  the  soul  wants  to  put  God  away  until  the 
blessed  moment  comes ;  when,  defenses  all  broken 
down,  it  desires  to  go  to  him  and  end  the  quarrel,  and 
have  everlasting  peace.  But  as  long  as  sin  rules,  as 
passion  and  bad  inclination  and  selfishness  will  have 
their  way,  contrary  to  God's  way,  so  long  there  is  op- 
position and  the  thrusting  of  God  out. 

This  is  the  awful  moral  phenomenon  which  the  Bible 
discloses ;  which  is  visible  enough  to  honest  observa- 
tion ;  which  perhaps  seems  to  you  only  a  relic  of  old- 
world  theology,  hardly  worth  repeating;  unworthy, 
perhaps,  of  an  enlightened  and  liberal  mind.  But,  my 
friends,  we  cannot  get  round  it.  I  speak  honestly, 
plainly  about  it.  Why  should  we  want  to  get  round 


God  Dismissed.  163 


it?  Why  not  wish  to  know  the  facts  of  our  moral 
life,  of  the  spiritual  world,  a^  of  the  material  ?  "Why 
not  this  first  ?  Knowing  this  thoroughly,  we  have  the 
key  to  deeper  mysteries  than  science  opens.  "We  see 
into  the  mysteries  of  the  human  heart,  and  of  God's 
grace  in  dealing  with  it,  and  are  prepared  for  the  faith 
which  not  only  sees  him  and  believes  his  Word,  but 
which  goes  to  him  and  begs  him  never  to  depart,  but 
to  be  our  God  forever  and  ever. 

The  cause  of  this  aversion,  repulsion  towards  God, 
is  moral.  That  no  man  can  doubt.  And  if  he  looks 
into  himself  he  finds  why  he  is  so  far  from  God ;  why 
he  does  not  want  God  any  nearer;  why,  in  moments 
of  wrong  and  conscious  sin,  he  wishes  there  were  no 
God,  and  that  he  could  have  his  own  way  to  the  end. 
But  there  is  the  result  as  well  as  the  cause.  What  is 
the  consequence  of  a  man's  saying  this,  and  continuing 
to  say  it  ? 

The  first  is,  that  God  does  depart.  I  will  not  pre- 
tend to  go  into  the  heart  of  God,  and  tell  what  goes  on 
there.  I  only  describe  the  moral  fact.  However  it 
happens,  whether  by  God's  act  or  ours,  the  soul  and 
God  go  farther  apart.  He  is  more  and  more  remote. 
The  fear  of  him  weakens.  The  vision  of  him  fades. 
The  thought  of  him  contracts.  He  may  be  here  just 
as  close  as  ever.  But  the  moral  distance  constantly 
widens.  He  ceases  to  be  felt.  Communication  stops. 
He  is  withdrawn,  even  from  prayer,  as  behind  an 


164  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

impenetrable  veil.  He  cannot  be  seen.  You  go 
where  he  is,  where  others  find  him,  even  in  his  house, 
and  he  is  not  there.  His  Spirit  has  retreated  into  the 
dark  and  the  silence,  grieved. 

As  a  further  consequence,  the  soul  is  left  without 
God.  It  is  left  to  itself,  with  all  the  evil  there  is  in  it, 
the  irrepressible  inclinations,  the  insurgent  passions, 
the  inflammable  tempers ;  with  all  the  temptation,  the 
danger,  the  kindling  excitements,  the  terrible  pressure 
of  the  world.  With  whatever  restraints,  it  is  left 
without  those  which  come  from  God,  his  conscious 
presence,  his  wholesome  fear.  With  God  so  far  off, 
his  inspection  forgotten,  his  judgment  in  the  invisible 
distance,  himself  but  a  name,  what  is  there  strong 
enough  to  hold  sin,  and  keep  it  under?  And  to  be 
without  God,  is  to  be  without  hope.  There  is  hope  in 
outward  things,  as  long  as  they  last.  But  such  hope  is 
very  brief,  very  uncertain,  very  shallow.  There  is  no 
real  hope,  solid  enough  to  outlast  death,  except  in 
God,  and  in  the  moral  condition  of  the  soul,  unalien- 
ated,  reconciled,  living  with  God  here,  and  going  to 
his  society  hereafter.  You  have  dismissed  him,  he 
has  departed,  and  there  is  no  hope  in  him  left.  And 
without  salvation  too.  Far  that  must  come  from  God, 
and  from  God  consciously  near  and  welcome.  For- 
giveness, spiritual  health  and  restoration,  cannot 
spring  up  in  the  soul  itself.  They  are  not  the  gift 
of  nature.  They  do  not  come  from  without,  or 


God  Dismissed.  165 


through  human  channels.  It  is  the  touch  of  God,  the 
life  which  comes  with  the  presence,  the  vision,  the 
love  of  him.  Our  destruction  is  in  alienation  from 
him.  Our  only  salvation  is  in  return  to  him,  in  his 
return  to  us,  in  that  double  return  and  actual  union, 
which  he  has  made  possible  in  Christ  Jesus. 

I  do  not  like  to  leave  off  with  only  this  dark  picture 
of  a  God  dismissed,  departed,  unknown  because  un- 
desired.  It  is  possible  to  know  God  and  his  ways. 
And  this  knowledge  is  spiritual  power,  is  eternal  life, 
is  heavenly  glory.  It  is  possible  even  for  God  to  come 
back  to  a  soul  which  has  sent  him  away,  which,  seeing 
the  terrible  condition  in  which  it  has  been  left,  rouses 
itself  and  goes  after  him,  and  finds  him  at  last  and 
forever  at  the  Cross  of  his  Son.  It  may  be  that  he 
stands  even  to-day  at  the  door,  and  knocks,  himself 
seeking  a  way  back  into  some  alienated  heart.  At 
any  rate,  he  has  not  gone  so  far  away,  even  from  you 
who  have  wandered  into  the  darkest  distances,  that  he 
cannot  be  found.  Look  up,  you  shall  see  that  he  is 
nearer  than  you  think.  Open  your  ears,  for  you  may 
hear  his  footsteps.  Cry  to  him,  even  in  your  despair, 
for  he  can  hear  a  long  way  off.  Forsake  everything 
for  him,  and  you  shall  find  him,  and  he  shall  keep  you 
and  bless  you  forever. 


JESUS  OP  NAZARETH  PASSETH  BY. 


BY  KEY.    ALEXANDER  MoKENZIE. 


And  they  told  him,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by.  — Luke  xviii.  37. 

A  BLIND  man  at  the  wayside,  by  the  gate  of  Jericho, 
begging :  the  stir  of  a  multitude  arousing  his  atten- 
tion :  the  eager  questions.  Who  are  these  people  ? 
Whither  are  they  going?  the  answer  of  some  who 
heard  him,  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by :  "  the 
anxious  cry  from  out  that  "nighted  life,"  "Jesus,  Son 
of  David,  have  mercy  on  me : "  rebuked,  but  the  more 
earnestly  repeated,  "Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
me  :  "  the  hastening  of  the  man  when  he  was  called : 
the  word  of  divine  power  and  mercy,  "Receive  thy 
sight;  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  : "  the  breaking  in  of 
light  upon  his  long  darkness :  the  gladness  with  which 
he  glorified  God  and  followed  him,  —  these  are  the 
simple,  but,  out  of  the  gospel,  unexampled  events 
which  are  found  in  the  thrice-told  narrative  which  a 
few  words  have  now  brought  to  your  notice,  —  "Jesus 
of  Nazareth  passeth  by." 

166 


Jesus  of  Nazareth  Passeth  By.  167 

The  important  thought  in  these  words  is,  not  that 
he  would  soon  be  gone,  but  that  he  was  then  at  hand. 
Where  he  had  been,  or  where  he  would  be,  was  of  less 
consequence.      At  that  time  he  was   passing.      The 
golden  moment  had  come  to  Bartimeus.     He  knew 
his   opportunity  and  filled  it  with  importunity.     To 
the  present  Christ  he  cried  for  mercy ;  from  the  pres- 
ent Christ  the  mercy  came.     That  the  time  was  brief, 
that  this  was  our  Lord's  only  visit  to  Jericho,  would 
have, been  fatal  if  the  man  had  lost  that  passing  mo- 
ment, but  did  not  work  against  him,  because  he  seized 
his  chance  with  a  quick  hand  and  grasped  its  blessing. 
We  have  much  to  say  of  the  rapid  flight  of  time. 
We   give  to  the  fact  an  undue   importance.      That 
time  flies  is  of  little  consequence  if  we  are  awake  and 
alert.     There  is  time  enough  for  life ;  and  time  is  slow 
enough  for  duty.     "  To  everything  there  is  a  season, 
and   a   time   to    every  purpose   under  the   heaven." 
Only  we  must  be  prompt,  and  keep  up  with  duty,  and 
pay  as  we  go  ;  ready  to  "  catch  the  transient  hour ; " 
"  improve  each  moment  as  it  flies."     If  we  "  be  called 
upon  to  face  some  awful  moment  to  which  heaven 
has  joined  great  issues,"  we  can  meet  the  trust  with 
composure  and  fulfill  it  thoroughly.     A  man  can  go 
as  fast  as  the  horse  he  rides ;  as  fast  as  Time  which 
carries  him.     Miss  this  minute,  and  you  may  never 
have  another  like  it.    Neglect  this  duty,  and  you  may 
never  have  time  to  do  it.     But  put  each  duty  into  its 


168  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

own  place  and  the  duties  of  life  will  be  done.  What 
is  passing  has  not  yet  passed.  Think  where  it  is 
rather  than  where  it  will  be.  Time  moves  rapidly. 
Events  hurry  on.  The  present  is  soon  the  past.  This 
onward  movement  is  designed  for  our  advantage.  It 
is  like  the  pressing  forward  of  the  ship  which  bears  us 
home.  It  is  also  like  the  speeding  of  the  ships  which 
bring  our  treasures  to  us.  Time  has  brought  us  to 
this  hour,  when  here  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  passing  by. 
Prophets  and  kings  desired  to  see  his  day,  and  died 
without  the  sight.  His  coming  might  have  been  de- 
layed till  our  earthly  course  was  run.  Two  days 
more  delay,  where  a  thousand  years  are  as  a  day,  and 
we  had  lived  and  died  waiting  for  him  to  come,  if, 
indeed,  we  had  heard  of  him.  But  time  has  hastened 
on  with  him.  He  came  to  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth ; 
he  finished  his  work  ;  he  died  for  men;  he  rose  again 
and  ascended.  We  have  heard  his  words  :  have  seen 
his  works  :  have  watched  by  his  cross  and  sepulchre, 
and  gazed  after  him  as  he  went  up  on  high.  The 
rapid  march  of  providence  and  grace  has  let  us  see 
our  Lord.  Nor  is  this  all  of  the  past.  His  bodily  pres- 
ence is  withdrawn  for  a  time ;  but  he  is  still  here. 
He  came  into  the  world  to  remain  in  it  till  redemp- 
tion was  completed.  He  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  not  of 
heaven  merely :  of  this  world,  of  every  Nazareth. 
He  is  here  this  morning.  This  is  his  house  ;  this  is 
the  day  of  his  resurrection.  Here  are  his  words  with 


Jesus  of  Nazareth  Passeth  By.  169 

the  promise  of  his  presence.  We  have  sung  to  him ; 
we  have  prayed  to  him ;  upon  his  mediation  have  we 
laid  our  souls.  He  is  here  :  for  "  Where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I." 
Some  of  you  have  in  you  the  witness  of  his  presence, 
spirit  in  spirit.  Others,  I  trust,  feel  his  presence,  a 
drawing  towards  him,  a  desire  to  be  blessed  of  him. 

Who  is  here  ?  Emmanuel,  God :  God  with  us.  Why 
was  he  called  Jesus  ?  Because  "  He  shall  save  his 
people  from  their  sins."  Why  is  he  here  ?  To  be- 
stow the  gift  of  God  upon  us.  It  is  peace,  rest,  light, 
life.  "  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life  ;  and  they  shall 
never  perish."  "  I  am  the  Eesurrection  and  the  Life." 
"This  is  the  true  God,  and  eternal  life."  "Jesus  of 
Nazareth  passe th  by."  Shall  I  say  that  to-morrow  he 
may  have  passed,  and  be  out  of  sight?  It  concerns 
us  more  to  feel  that  to-day  he  is  here,  —  passing  by, 
but  within  our  call.  No  man  knows  how  long  that 
will  be  true,  but  he  is  here  now.  To-morrow !  we  may 
be  dead.  Before  another  sunrise  our  destiny  may  be 
sealed  forever.  Or,  living,  the  impressions  of  this 
hour  may  have  left  us.  The  cares  of  the  world  may 
flow  in  upon  us  and  efface  the  thought  which  is  born 
and  nurtured  in  this  sacred  place.  Very  fleeting  are 
good  impressions  and  good  resolves  in  this  busy  world. 
The  disposition  to  ask  for  mercy  may  vanish  with  the 
day.  To-morrow  we  may  have  forgotten  the  Sabbath. 
Or,  again,  the  special  influences  of  this  time  may  be 


170  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

withdrawn.  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  who  inclines  us  to 
come  to  Christ.  God  in  his  sovereignty  calls  us, 
moves  upon  us,  pleads  with  us.  He  may  not  visit  us 
in  this  way  to-morrow.  He  may  leave  us  to  our  idols  ; 
to  our  hardened  hearts,  which  know  not  the  day  of 
their  visitation.  "  Then  shall  they  call  upon  me,  but 
I  will  not  answer ;  they  shall  seek  me  early,  but  they 
shall  not  find  me."  All  this  may  come  to  pass  with 
us,  as  it  has  with  so  many  others.  The  old  lament 
may  rise,  "  The  harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended, 
and  we  are  not  saved."  But  why  need  we  talk  of 
what  may  be  to-morrow  ?  We  are  living  now,  not 
then.  I  tell  you  a  greater  truth  than  these.  That 
Christ  should  be  absent  from  Jericho  was  not  remark- 
able. That  he  should  be  present  there  was  remarka- 
ble. The  thought  that  he  may  leave  us  is  very  sol- 
emn. It  is  of  more  immediate  importance  to  think 
that  he  has  not  left  us.  The  fact,  and  the  correspond- 
ing privilege  of  this  hour,  I  pray  you,  have  regard  to 
these.  Now,  here,  "Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by." 
Let  us  fix  our  minds  upon  the  present  and  its  opportu- 
nity. He  passeth  by.  The  blessings  which  he  brings 
are  close  at  hand.  If  we  speak,  he  hears.  If  we  ask 
for  sight,  he  gives  it.  In  a  gracious  conjunction  of 
events,  the  needy  are  in  the  presence  of  the  helper ; 
the  sinner  is  before  the  Saviour ;  the  guilty  are  wrhere 
forgiveness  is  offered  to  them. 


Jesus  of  Nazareth  Passetli  By.  171 

I.  In  the  presence  of  this  fact  you  will  notice,  first, 
that  we  have  not  to  wait  for  God's  blessing.  Already 
it  is  waiting  for  us.  The  preparation  for  being  helped 
is  being  needy.  We  are  prepared.  Now  we  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  that  is  preparation  for  the 
rest  which  Christ  will  give.  Now  we  need  guidance 
and  strength  and  comfort,  and  that  is  preparation  for 
the  gifts  of  light,  power,  consolation.  Now  we  need 
the  new  heart,  or,  having  that,  the  quickened  and  per- 
fected heart;  and  that  is  preparation  for  the  Holy 
Spirit.  We  are  guilty ;  and  guilt  needs  pardon  and 
removal,  which  come  only  through  the  Saviour  who 
now  is  passing  by.  Our  need  of  Christ  can  never  be 
more  real,  can  hardly  be  perceptibly  greater,  than  it 
is  to-day.  What  shall  we  do,  then,  but  cry,  "  Jesus, 
have  mercy  on  me  —  on  me?"  But  one  must  feel  his 
sins,  it  is  said ;  and  I  have  no  feeling.  He  should  feel 
his  sins  enough  to  stop  sinning.  The  deeper  his  sor- 
row over  his  past  life  the  better.  I  think  you  wrong 
yourself,  my  friend,  if  you  say  you  have  no  remorse 
for  an  ungrateful,  disobedient  life.  What  you  have 
to  do  is  now,  with  whatever  emotion  you  have,  to  ac- 
cept the  mercy  of  God  and  pledge  yourself  to  a  life 
of  piety.  To  wait  for  feeling  is  so  long  to  remain  ill 
ungodliness.  Wait  for  nothing.  Let  conscience  and 
reason  have  their  way,  and  pray,  "  God  be  merciful 
to  me,  a  sinner.'* 

Must  I  not  repent  ?     That  is  repentance.     Turning 


172  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

from  wrong  to  right,  from  self  to  Christ,  that  is 
repentance.  Feeling  will  attend  the  act;  but  the 
virtue  is  in  the  turning.  Must  I  not  have  faith? 
That  is  faith.  The  act  by  which  you  commit  yourself 
to  the  mercy  of  God,  in  Christ  the  Saviour,  is  the  act 
of  faith.  Must  I  not  have  a  Christian  life  ?  That  is 
a  Christian  life.  It  is  the  beginning  of  an  endless 
career  of  trust  and  service.  Must  I  not  be  converted  ? 
That  is  conversion :  the  turning  around  of  the  soul 
and  the  life,  so  that  you  look  on  Christ,  and  follow 
him.  Must  I  not  be  born  again  ?  That  is  being  born 
again :  having  the  will,  the  affections,  the  purpose,  the 
choice  of  life  changed,  renewed,  brought  into  agree- 
ment with  the  will  of  God.  Must  I  not  have  the  Holy 
Spirit  ?  This  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  moving 
you  to  penitence  and  faith,  making  you  the  child  of 
God.  If  we  will  be  blessed,  God  will  bless,  and  now 
he  passeth  by  where,  in  our  need,  we  are  awaiting  the 
judgment  towards  which  time  bears  us  with  relent- 
less speed.  A  blind  man  at  the  wayside.  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  passing  by.  The  cry,  "Son  of  David,  have 
mercy  on  me."  The  gift  of  sight :  the  opening  of  a  new 
life  of  praise  and  gladness.  This  is  what  we  need  to 
reproduce.  While  the  mercy  is  here,  we  have  not  to 
wait  for  it.  While  we  need  it,  we  have  not  to  prepare 
for  it.  If  we  will  ask  it,  and  receive  it,  he  will  bestow 
it.  Now  is  the  accepted  time.  Should  it  not  be  the 
day  of  our  salvation  ? 


Jesus  of  Nazareth  Passeth  By.  173 

II.  You  will  mark,  in  this  connection,  that  we  have 
no  need  to  go  on  in  sin.    We  can  be  forgiven,  and  can 
receive  a  new  principle  of  life.     If  at  any  time  we  do 
wrong  afterwards,  it  will  be  contrary  to  our  ruling  pur- 
pose—  an  exception  and  not  the  rule.     The  course  of 
our  life  will  be  towards  God ;  and,  though  the  currents 
may  turn  us  from  our  course,  we  shall  still  be  making 
headway  towards  the  desired  haven.     The  works  of  the 
flesh  and  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  are  distinct;  and  if 
we  are  under  the  control  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  we  shall 
do  the  works  which  please  him.     And  the  character  of 
the  life,  its  motive  and  intention,  will  be  righteous. 
Into  this  life  we  can  enter  if  we  will  accept  the  mercy 
of  Christ,  who  to-day  is  here,  and  the  new  life  with 
the  new  motive  can  begin  at  once. 

III.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  we  need  run  no 
risk  of  missing  the  gift  of  God.     Let  the  morrow  bring 
what  it  will,  we  have  made  the  grace  of  God  our  own. 
We   may   be   in   the   midst   of   exciting  business,  or 
weighty  cares,  but  they  will  not  take  from  us  the 
mercy  we  have  received,  nor  keep  us  from  having  it. 
If  sudden  death  removes  us  from  the  world,  it  cannot 
undo  our  choice  of  life,  nor  keep  us  from  the  Saviour 
to  whom  we  have  given  ourselves.     The  present  made 
secure,  the  future  is  our  own.     We  are  masters  of  the 
position.    We  protect  ourselves  from  the  risk  of  losing 
our  souls  by  saving  them.     The  choice  is  made.     The 
deed  is  done.     Come  life,  come  death,  we  shall  not  fail 


174  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

of  mercy,  for  we  have  received  mercy.  Calmly,  con- 
fidently, resting  on  the  certainty  of  faith,  the  soul  can 
say,  in  humility  and  gratitude,  "  I  know  whom  I  have 
believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep 
that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him." 

IV.  It  is  to  be  remarked,  further,  that  by  the  right 
use  of  this  time,  when  Christ  is  passing  by,  we  save  the 
rest  of  life  for  good  uses.  If  the  design  of  religion 
were  simply  to  get  us  from  perdition  into  paradise,  it 
would  matter  little  when  we  come  to  Christ,  so  that 
we  are  not  overtaken  by  death  before  we  have 
received  his  mercy.  Finding  from  the  tables  of  life 
insurance  companies  how  long  we  are  likely  to  live, 
we  could  determine  how  long  it  would  be  prudent  to 
live  in  irreligion — without  God,  and  without  hope. 
Delay  would  be  dangerous,  for  life  is  always  held  by  a 
slight  tenure.  Youth,  strength,  apparent  health,  are 
often  disappointed ;  and  when  we  look  not  for  it  death 
knocks  at  our  gate,  and  we  are  gone.  It  is  not 
prudent  to  put  off  till  to-morrow  what  it  is  indis- 
pensable that  we  should  do.  On  this  matter  of  the 
uncertainty  of  life,  we  have  seen  so  much  we  are  not 
in  darkness,  that  that  day  should  overtake  us  as  a 
thief.  "Watch  ye,  therefore,  for  ye  know  not  when 
the  Master  of  the  house  cometh,  at  even,  or  at  mid- 
night, or  at  the  cock  crowing,  or  in  the  morning: 
Lest  coming  suddenly,  he  find  you  sleeping.  And 
what  I  say  unto  you,  I  say  unto  all,  Watch." 


Jesus  of  Nazareth  Passeth  By.  175 

But  perilous  as  it  is  to  put  off  the  time  when  we 
will  take  God's  mercy,  it  were  less  hazardous  if  merely 
to  get  into  heaven  were  the  sole  purpose  of  religion. 
The  design  of  religion  is  very  much  more  than  this. 
Rightly  to  be  fitted  for  a  saintly  life  beyond  this  world 
we  should  have  made  a  holy  use  of  every  day  from  our 
birth  to  our  translation.  Though  the  years  were  four- 
score, there  were  not  an  hour  too  many  to  fit  us 
worthily  for  eternal  blessedness.  We  have  shortened 
the  time  and  increased  the  work.  Every  day  spent  in 
irreligion  gives  us  more  to  do  and  less  time  for  doing 
anything.  We.  cannot  be  too  quick  in  laying  hold 
upon  the  lapsing  hours.  The  son  of  Timeus  should 
get  sight  as  soon  as  possible  for  his  own  sake.  If  he 
has  a  family  dependent  upon  him,  or  public  duties  to 
discharge,  it  is  more  needful  that  he  improve  his  first 
opportunity.  In  regard  to  our  personal  piety,  each 
one  has  himself  to  think  of,  and  others  also.  Piety  is 
not  another  name  for  selfishness.  It  is  another  name 
for  love.  First,  we  ought  to  think  of  God.  Our  life 
all  belongs  to  him.  We  cannot  give  him  the  whole, 
alas !  But  we  can  give  him  all  that  remains,  which 
now  is  more  than  it  can  ever  be  again.  Never  again 
shall  we  have  so  much  time  as  we  have  now  for  grati- 
tude, affection,  obedience.  Shall  we  drain  the  cup 
of  life  on  the  chance  that  we  can  give  to  God  the 
dregs  ?  Shall  we  take  the  feast  and  leave  for  God 
the  crumbs  which  fall  from  our  table  ?  Are  youth 


176  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

and  manhood  for  ourselves,  and  only  age,  with  its 
deepening  shadows,  for  our  Heavenly  Father  ? 

"Oh!  Father  abbot, 

An  old  man,  broken  with  the  storms  of  state, 
Is  come  to  lay  his  weary  bones  among  ye; 
Give  him  a  little  earth  for  charity." 

We  need  all  the  time  which  remains,  also,  for  per- 
fecting ourselves.  Conversion  and  regeneration  begin 
a  work  which  is  to  go  on  as  long  as  we  live.  We  are 
to  "  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  To  faith  are  to  be  added 
knowledge  and  charity,  and  all  virtues.  St.  Paul  de- 
scribes two  lives  as  two  houses.  Both  are  on  the  good 
foundation.  But  one  is  made  of  wood,  hay,  and  stub- 
ble, which  must  be  burned ;  and  the  man  will  be  saved 
alone,  and  so  as  by  fire.  The  other  is  of  gold,  silver, 
and  precious  stones,  which  will  be  transferred  with  the 
man  and  be  his  wealth  forever.  The  longer  we  live 
well,  the  more  treasure  shall  we  lay  up  in  heaven. 
We  need  all  the  remaining  time,  also,  for  usefulness. 
There  is  much  we  ought  to  do  which  we  shall  not  do 
till  we  are  Christians.  Much  in  our  houses,  much  in 
society,  much  for  the  wide  world.  We  lack  both  abil- 
ity and  spirit  for  the  highest  service  before  we  have 
received  of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  yielded  ourselves  to 
do  his  will.  Whom  he  calls,  them  he  furnishes.  Whom 
he  employs,  them  he  rewards.  Piety  means  love,  life, 
usefulness.  God's  child  is  a  partaker  of  the  divine 


Jesus  of  Nazareth  Passeth  By.  177 

nature  :  and  that  nature  is  life  and  grace.  If  you  de- 
sire only  to  save  your  own  soul  —  but  I  will  not 
speak  thus  of  you.  You  want  to  do  good.  This  is 
the  place  where  that  good  is  wanted.  So  far  as  God 
and  your  neighbor  are  concerned,  it  is  of  more  import- 
ance that  you  be  a  Christian  here  than  in  heaven: 
that  you  serve  here  than  that  you  sing  there.  There 
will  be  no  lack  of  celestial  ministries  wherever  you 
may  spend  your  eternity.  But  there  is  a  lack  of 
Christian  men  and  Christian  women  in  this  world,  and 
to-day.  If  you  must  divide  your  time,  live  for  God, 
be  a  Christian  here,  and  reserve  selfishness  and  irreli- 
gion  for  the  other  country.  Think  how  much  piety, 
prolonged  through  many  years,  has  had  to  do  with  the 
lives  we  venerate.  Take  their  devotion  to  Christ  from 
Matthew,  and  John,  and  Paul:  and  you  have  a  tax- 
gatherer,  a  fisherman,  a  tenlrmaker.  What  is  left  which 
you  admire  when  the  piety  of  Augustine,  Doddridge, 
Payson  is  removed  ?  How  the  life  loses  its  lustre  and 
power  when  you  take  away  religion  from  the  best 
men  you  know.  Let  it  be  that  they  turned  to  God 
on  their  dying  bed,  and  are  in  heaven  now.  How 
could  we  bless  their  memory  but  for  their  long  years 
of  Christian  usefulness,  when  they  showed  themselves 

"So  anxious  not  to  go  to  heaven  alone!" 

Oh !  the  world  is  needy,  needy.     It  suffers  for  goo 
men.      It  mourns  for  want  of   piety.      The  fi 

L 


178  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

broad  and  white  where  only  Christians  will  bear  the 
sickle  and  garner  the  grain.  If  you  mean  to  be  saved, 
be  saved  to-day,  that  you  may  save  others.  Make 
your  hope  generous  by  making  it  alive,  instant,  useful. 
So  shall  it  be  a  joy  to  live,  and  Heaven  shall  hail  your 
coming,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant." 

"Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by" — not  yesterday, 
not  to-morrow — NOW.  Why  is  he  here,  with  bleeding 
hands  and  feet,  with  breaking  heart  ?  Speak  to  him, 
or  ever  he  be  gone!  Say,  "Lord,  have  mercy!"  In 
your  blindness  cry,  and  see.  In  your  hardness  cry, 
and  feel.  In  your  utter  need  beseech  the  compassion 
which  draws  near  to  you,  and  know  how  God  can 
bless. 


NOTHING  TO  DO  WITH  CHEIST, 


BY  EEV.   WILLIAM  WILBEEFOECE   NEWTON. 


When  he  was  set  down  on  the  judgment  seat,  his  wife  sent  unto  him, 
saying:  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just  man;  for  I  have  suffered 
many  things  this  day  in  a  dream  because  of  him. — Matt,  xxvii.  19. 


I  CALL  your  attention,  my  brethren,  to  the  subject 
of  this  message  to  the  Roman  governor,  as  he  sat  in 
judgment  upon  it.  Think  for  a  moment  of  the  scene! 
Pilate  was  in  a  sad  dilemma,  and  did  not  know  what 
he  was  to  do  with  Jesus.  He  had  given  up  principle 
and  had  come  down  to  policy,  and  was  in  the  midst  of 
a  miserable  compromise  about  Barabbas,  knowing  that 
the  Saviour  was  delivered  only  because  of  envy,  when 
a  hurried  messenger,  eager  and  impatient,  came  from 
his  wife,  telling  him  not  to  act  at  all,  but  only  to  be 
very  skillful,  and  avoid  doing  anything.  Do  not  let 
him  go :  that  would  offend  the  Jews.  Do  not  pass 
sentence  upon  him,  the  suffering  of  the  conscience 
would  not  hear  to  this.  Simply  let  him  alone,  and 
shift  all  responsibility  at  once,  by  having  nothing  what- 
ever to  do  with  him.  "Masterly  inaction."  This  was 
the  motto  sent  by  Pilate's  wife  to  Pilate. 

179 


180  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

Now,  there  is  a  time  in  every  man's  history  when 
Jesus  Christ  stands  before  the  judgment  seat  of  each 
one  of  us.  Christ,  standing  before  Pilate,  waiting 
for  his  decision,  waiting  to  find  out  what  is  to  be  done 
with  him,  —  this  is  only  the  picture  of  Jesus  as  he 
stands  before  the  judgment  seat  of  each  one  of  us. 
And  what  is  the  message  of  the  hour  ?  What  is  the 
advice  which  is  given  to  us  from  the  spirit  of  this 
curious  age  ?  The  spirit  of  the  world  sends  to  each 
one  of  us,  in  the  critical  epoch  of  each  man's  inner 
history,  this  same  politic  message :  "  Have  thou  nothing 
to  do  with  that  just  man."  The  reason,  too,  is  just 
the  same,  for  the  world's  conscience  has  suffered  many 
things,  in  vague,  uneasy  dreams,  because  of  him. 
This,  then,  is  the  attitude  of  the  thinking,  bustling, 
unchristian  world,  to  Christ  this  day.  The  world  does 
not  disbelieve  in  Christ ;  it  dare  not  do  this.  It  freely 
admits  his  claims,  the  fact  of  his  existence,  and  the 
further  fact  of  his  righteous  character  as  a  just  man ; 
but  then  it  wants  to  pass  him  entirely  by,  and  have 
no  relationship  with  him ;  it  wants  to  have  nothing  to 
do  with  him ;  it  wants  to  live  in  its  own  sphere,  and 
act  just  as  if  there  had  never  been  any  Christ,  for  the 
world  has  restless  and  uneasy  dreams  of  Jesus,  and  it 
wants  to  avoid  him  altogether.  Nothing  to  do  with 
Christ !  This  is  the  motto  of  the  world  to-day.  Let 
us  look  then  at  three  phases  of  the  world's  antagonism, 
and  at  the  dreams  which  cause  this  antagonism.  And 


Nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  181 

these  three  phases  of  the  world's  hostility  to  Christ 
are — the  world  of  pleasure,  and  the  dream  of  duty; 
the  world  of  study,  and  the  dream  of  action ;  and  the 
world  of  man's  business,  and  the  dream  of  the  Father's 
business.  Each  of  these  dreams  causes  suffering  to 
the  conscience.  Let  us  look  at  them. 

I.  The  world  of  pleasure  says  to  the  votary  of  pleas- 
ure, "  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just  man,"  for 
duty  to  Christ  will  not  let  you  serve  the  world.  So  it 
is  here  the  dream  of  duty  which  causes  the  suffering. 
This  world  of  pleasure  and  of  fashion,  how  very 
strong  it  is ;  how  it  gathers  all  its  forces  in  battle 
array  against  the  spirit  of  the  true  Christian,  and  ex- 
claims, "  What  is  the  chief  end  of  man  but  happiness  ? 
Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die."  And 
thus  it  cuts  with  a  broad  swath  upon  the  fresh  fields 
of  youth.  Are  there  not  times  when  even  Nature,  with 
her  fair  face,  seems  to  woo  us  out  of  the  plain  path  of 
duty  ?  when  we  feel  as  if  we  could  do  our  work  if  the 
day  was  disagreeable  and  stormy;  but  with  such  a 
fascinating  sky,  and  such  pure,  delicious  air,  it  seems 
hard  and  cruel  to  be  compelled  to  mount  an  office 
stool,  or  stand  at  a  desk,  or  sit  through  the  long-drawn 
hours  of  the  day,  in  some  dull  and  dusty  room,  while 
all  God's  other  creatures,  in  the  lower  range  of  animal 
life,  enjoy  the  open  day,  and  accomplish  the  purposes 
for  which  they  were  made  in  the  free,  untrammeled 


182  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

sunshine !  And  then,  from  the  haggard  woman  in  her 
attic,  singing  "  Stitch,  stitch,  stitch  "  over  her  allotted 
task,  to  the  drone,  dying  in  the  unsatisfactoriness  of 
his  satiety,  we  say,  "  Why  is  all  this  ?  Wherefore  this 
perpetual  antagonism  ?  What  is  duty  ?  Why  can  I 
not  do  as  I  please  ?  "  And  if  God's  world  even  seems 
to  lead  us  sometimes  into  temptation,  is  it  surprising, 
with  hearts  bent  on  pleasure  within  us,  and  the  world's 
capabilities  of  pleasure  tempting  us  without,  that  the 
many  in  the  world  seek  after  pleasure,  and  the  few 
hold  on  to  duty?  I  think  not,  my  brethren.  The 
world  is  lovely,  and  fascinating,  and  bewitching,  to 
those  who  have  great  capacities  for  joy,  and  touch  the 
polygon  of  life  at  many  points.  The  temptations  of 
Satan  and  of  sin  come  to  us  in  most  powerful  combi- 
nations. By  every  avenue  of  the  senses,  by  sight  and 
sound  and  scent,  by  influence,  and  by  example,  they 
appeal  to  the  sensuous  nature  in  man,  and,  pushing 
up  their  appeals  to  the  very  hilt,  become  at  last  our 
familiar  companions,  and  abide  with  us.  And  thus  the 
cry  goes  up  from  the  votary  of  pleasure  in  the  dizzy 
ball-room,  where  everything  exalts  the  senses,  What 
is  the  use  of  living  otherwise  ?  What  does  it  all 
amount  to  ?  Let  me  have  nothing  to  do  with  Christ 
and  his  strict  claims  upon  me !  "  What  have  I  to  do 
with  thee,  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David  ?  Art  thou  come 
to  torment  me  before  my  time?" 

My  brethren,  if  we  could  rest  here,  if  we  could  ask 


Nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  183 

these  questions  and  be  satisfied  to  go  without  an 
answer,  then  the  Saviour  might  leave  us  to  ourselves ; 
but  side  by  side  with  every  wish  for  a  life  of  careless 
pleasure  there  is  the  germ  of  a  dream  of  duty.  Eight 
by  the  side  of  every  strong  /  will,  there  is  the  con- 
fronting strong  /  ought.  Eight  by  the  side  of  that 
which  is  willful  and  emotional,  leading  to  carelessness 
and  sin,  there  is  that  which  is  moral  and  conscience- 
stricken,  trying  to  lead  us  back  to  God.  Just  when 
we  feel  most  disposed  to  say,  "  I  will  have  nothing  to 
do  with  it  because  I  want  to  rush  into  the  world  of 
pleasure,"  then  it  is  that  we  suffer  many  things  because 
of  him,  in  the  uneasy  dreams  of  duty  which  will  not 
let  us  slumber  so ;  dreams  which  tell  us  of  a  neces- 
sity there  is  in  the  conscience  and  in  the  moral  world, 
as  well  as  of  the  freedom  there  is  in  the  purely  volun- 
tary acts  of  the  human  will.  It  may  be  a  nightmare 
dream  of  duty  which  frightens  some  men  at  last  into 
Christianity ;  and  yet  there  never  was  a  soul  that 
came  unwillingly  to  Jesus ;  there  was  perfect  con- 
scious freedom  about  it.  There  is  never  any  somnam- 
bulism about  conversion,  any  unconscious  walking  in 
your  sleep  to  Christ  and  to  heaven.  A  dream  may 
start  men  to  him,  but  there  must  be  a  waking-time 
after  the  dream,  if  they  are  to  act  at  all  and  do  any- 
thing. 

And  so  I  say  there  are  dreams  of  duty  which  at  last 
will  awaken  the  sleeping  souls  of  men,  and  will  make 


184  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

them  realize  that  there  is  a  world  of  eternal  reality 
hidden  beneath  the  encrusting  world  of  evanescent 
show  :  that  there  can  be  a  life  of  whole-souled  Chris- 
tian earnestness  in  that  unaroused  nature  which  is 
now  covered  by  the  gay  drapery  of  the  life  of  the 
thoughtless  worldling ;  and  that  there  is  a  happiness 
in  the  simple  life  of  sincere  and  dutiful  obedience 
which  is  better  and  more  satisfactory  as  years  press 
thick  upon  us,  and  as  we  grow  nearer  that  world 
which  cometh  after  this,  than  the  conventional  unnat- 
uralisms  of  that  life  of  pleasure,  which  with  its  lust  of 
the  eyes,  and  its  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  its  pride  of  life, 
is  not  of  the  Father  but  is  of  that  wrorld  which  with 
all  its  satellites  is  one  day  to  pass  away  forever. 

There  are  two  great  wills  in  the  world  :  the  will  of 
God  and  the  will  of  self.  The  one  means  submission 
here  and  happiness  hereafter;  and  the  other  means, 
from  first  to  last,  pure  and  unmixed  selfishness.  All 
sins  can  be  traced  to  selfishness  as  the  root  and  foun- 
tain head  of  all  wrong-doing.  So  then  the  philoso- 
phy of  this  discrepancy  between  what  we  wish  and 
what  we  ought  to  wish  is  just  this  :  "We  want  in  this 
world  above  everything  else  to  have  our  own  wills ; 
this  will  lead  us  into  thorough  selfishness,  the  con- 
stant pleasing  of  self,  hence  absolute  pleasure.  If, 
however,  we  sincerely  want  to  do  God's  will,  this  will 
lead  us  into  absolute  submission,  or  Christliness, 
hence  duty. 


Nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  185 

In  the  future,  when  sin  is  done  away,  there  will 
be  only  one  will  again,  as  there  was  in  God's  sight  in 
heaven  before  man  was  upon  earth.  There  can  never 
then  be  any  antagonism  between  the  creature  and  the 
Creator  again.  The  two  wills  will  run  in  harmony ; 
the  cry  of  the  redeemed  nature  will  forever  be,  "  Have 
thou  nothing  to  do  with  self-will  \  you  have  suffered 
too  much  in  your  past  history  upon  earth  because  of 
that."  Duty  itself  will  then  be  pleasure ;  there  will 
never  be  any  balancing  between  what  we  wish  and 
what  we  ought  to  wish,  and  so  the  hostility  which 
comes  from  the  antagonism  of  the  w^orld  of  pleasure 
will  be  finally  removed,  and  will  fade  utterly  away,  be- 
cause there  will  not  be  any  world  of  pleasure  which  is 
not  at  the  same  time  a  world  of  duty.  Then  we  shall 
indeed  be  changed,  for  then  every  action  will  be  found 
to  have  something  to  do  with  Christ,  for  his  will, 
which  will  then  be  ours,  will  cleanse  and  hallow  every- 
thing we  do. 

II.  And  then  comes  the  second  phase  of  the  world's 
antagonism  to  Christ,  its  desire  to  have  nothing  to  do 
with  him.  And  this  is  when  the  world  of  thought  and 
mental  exercise  is  so  thoroughly  satisfied  with  itself, 
that  it  will  not  listen  to  the  dream  of  Christian  action. 
Let  me  explain  this :  The  world  of  mental  temptation 
lies  on  a  higher  plane  than  the  world  of  mere  sensuous 
temptation.  The  man  who  does  not  care  a  straw  for 


186  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

the  pleasures  of  the  ball-room  or  the  stage,  or  the  dis- 
sipations of  club  life,  may  yet  hear  the  intellectual 
world  he  lives  in  whispering  to  him,  "  Have  thou  noth- 
ing to  do  with  that  Just  Man,"  and  he  may  as  thor- 
oughly obey  its  commands  as  the  weaker  worldling ! 
We  too  often  forget  the  sin  and  the  temptation  in 
certain  courses  of  action,  in  the  intellectual  glory, 
which,  like  a  halo  round  the  moon,  makes  more  of  a 
show,  perhaps,  than  the  simple  moon  itself,  but  never- 
theless shows  it  to  be  in  an  abnormal  state.  The  halo 
which  hangs  around  a  temptation  can  never  destroy 
the  character  of  that  temptation ;  the  glory  which 
lightens  up  a  sin  because  it  is  a  great  man's  sin  can 
never  wipe  out  the  essentially  evil  character  of  that 
man's  action.  The  spendthrift's  taste  leads  him  to  the 
low  level  of  the  spendthrift's  sin.  The  votary  of  fash- 
ion's taste  leads  him  to  a  higher  level,  but  still  a  level 
of  mere  indifferentism  to  Christianity!  And  the  un- 
believing student  of  art,  or  literature,  or  science,  who 
detaches  the  world  of  thought  he  lives  in  from  Chris- 
tianity, and  unships  the  compass  of  his  life  and  wishes 
from  the  life  and  wishes  of  Jesus  Christ, — the  divine 
pilot  of  our  shipwrecked  human  nature, — is  as  great 
a  sinner  in  God's  sight,  as  any  one  else  who  acts  more 
openly  by  the  same  rule  and  has  nothing  to  do  with 
Christ.  So  do  not  point  to  the  intellectual  glory  of 
the  great  man  and  say,  "  Never  mind  about  his  ac- 
tions ;  see,  what  glorious  thoughts  !  "  Thought-power 


Nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  187 

alone  never  accomplished  anything  in  the  world's  his- 
tory. Christ's  mercy,  though  it  existed  from  the  be- 
ginning as  a  great  fountain-head  of  ideal  love  and 
power,  never  would  have  reached  us,  had  it  not  flowed 
out  through  the  runnel-pipes  of  action.  All  that 
Jesus  could  have  taught  us  would  not  have  availed 
us  anything  if  he  had  not  done  something  for  us,  as 
well  as  taught  us  the  truth.  So  when  the  art-student 
says,  "  I  want  to  think  and  live  in  an  ideal  world,  and 
Christianity  says  I  must  live  and  work  in  an  actual 
world,  therefore  I  must  part  from  Christianity,"  he  sins 
against  his  God ;  for  it  is  the  dream  of  action  that 
makes  him  say,  "I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  it." 

So  with  the  man  of  science  and  the  man  of  litera- 
ture, with  the  poet  and  the  painter  and  the  musician. 
The  fine  arts  have  ever  striven  to  be  free,  and  to  live 
in  a  world  of  their  OAVU.  They  have  always  kicked 
against  the  prickings  of  conscience,  and  it  is  only  here 
and  there  in  the  world's  history  that  a  sanctified 
genius  has  arisen,  to  show  that  the  world  of  art  and 
beauty  can  safely  swing  upon  the  hinges  of  Christian- 
ity. It  is  so  fascinating  to  light  the  fire  on  your 
hearth,  and  draw  the  curtains,  and  shut  out  the  world, 
and  the  storms  and  wet  weather  of  the  world,  and  live 
for  thought  and  study  alone.  It  is  so  much  easier  to 
think  beautiful  thoughts  than  to  do  them ;  to  read  and 
admire  the  actions  of  others  rather  than  to  go  out  in 
the  cold  and  snow  and  accomplish  the  same  things 


188  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

ourselves !  It  is  so  easy  a  thing  to  love  to  read  the 
lives  of  the  saints,  and  so  very  hard  to  be  faithful  in 
looking  after  the  poor  at  our  very  door  without  soon 
tiring  of  it ;  it  is  so  easy  to  talk  about  the  Christian 
life,  and  so  very  difficult  to  practice  it  week  after  week, 
and  year  after  year,  without  faltering  in  our  path  and 
growing  weary  in  our  work,  or  doing  or  saying  hosts 
of  things  of  which  we  are  heartily  ashamed.  Think 
of  the  ideal  poet,  Shelley;  and  the  wretched,  unhappy 
man,  Shelley.  Think  of  the  wonderful  dreams  of  the 
poet,  Goethe.  Think  of  the  passion  and  the  heroism 
and  the  sentiment  in  the  rich  veins  of  his  writings, 
and  then  think  of  him  disappearing  to  the  shady  re- 
tirement of  his  sequestered  cottage,  when  his  country 
was  invaded,  and  helpless  widows  and  orphans  sued 
for  their  fellow-countryman's  loving  care. 

Brethren,  we  are  not  merely  that  which  we  think, 
else  there  would  be  two  races  upon  the  earth ;  a  race 
of  men  and  a  race  of  angels.  We  are  before  God  only 
what  we  act.  We  are  not  What  we  talk  in  society ; 
we  are  what  we  talk  in  the  plain  every-day  matters  of 
our  life  at  home.  Christianity,  then,  means  action; 
and  those  who  want  only  to  think,  and  not  to  act, 
crawl  out  of  the  Christian  life  of  action  into  the  selfish 
life  of  thinking.  And  thus  it  is  the  dream  of  action 
which  causes  many  men  in  the  world  to  have  nothing 
to  do  with  Christ. 


Nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  189 

III.  And  then  comes  the  third  and  last  phase  of  the 
world's  antagonism  to  Christ ;  and  this  is  the  world  of 
man's  business,  monopolizing  all  his  time  and  atten- 
tion, because  it  wants  him  to  forget  the  dream  that 
there  is  a  Father  or  a  Father's  business.  This  is  pre- 
eminently a  utilitarian  age.  A  few  years  ago  we 
thought  we  had  passed  entirely  out  of  the  epochs  of 
heroism  and  the  glory  which  comes  from  romance  and 
heroic  acts,  but  the  strong  uprising  of  a  great  people 
to  support  the  government  has  taught  us  that  there  is 
yet  left  in  our  Anglo-American  veins  the  true  chiv- 
alry of  knighthood's  days,  such  as  ruled  in  the  times 
of  baronial  feudal-power,  and  inspired  men  like  Sir 
Philip  Sydney  to  the  high  emprise  of  noble  deeds. 
Only,  men  who  used  to  tilt  a  lance  upon  a  prancing 
charger  for  some  specially  romantic  cause,  now  give 
up  the  heraldry  of  the  tournament,  for  the  citizen's 
dress,  and  the  committee  room. 

Prince  Arthur  and  his  Eound-Table  knights,  if  they 
lived  in  these  days,  would  form  themselves  into  a 
league  for  the  support  of  the  administration.  It  is  the 
atmosphere  of  the  age  to  reduce  everything  to  the 
low  level  of  the  utilitarian.  And  thus  it  is  that  men 
come  into  manhood  from  boyhood,  and,  forgetting 
their  early  dreams  of  youth,  sink  pleasure  and  study 
and  every  other  thing,  in  the  all  engrossing  prospect 
of  financial  success,  and  say  of  everything  but  money, 
What  is  the  use,  what  does  it  profit  ?  And  so  they 


190  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

run  after  dollars  and  cents  as  the  incarnation  of  all 
power,  for  quoth  they,  "  What  will  not  money  do ;  and 
if  I  only  can  have  money  shall  I  not,  with  it,  also  pos- 
sess all  things  ? "  It  does  seem  certainly  a  great 
result  in  life  to  amass  a  fortune  and  be  a  merchant 
prince  among  the  merchants.  It  must  be  fascinating 
beyond  measure  to  be  able  to  sign  one's  name  to  a 
blank  check  and  have  the  money  ready  at  one's  hand. 
Such  an  one  is  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the  age 
we  live  in,  who  is  able  to  do  this.  The  world  seems 
wondrously  real  and  abiding  to  him.  .  He  has  no  diffi- 
culty about  any  want  of  faith  in  himself  or  in  the  men 
around  him.  Christ  need  never  say  to  any  of  the 
worshipers  in  the  temple  of  Mammon,  "How  is  it 
that  ye  are  so  fearful,  oh,  ye  of  little  faith  ?  "  It  is 
all  real  and  plain  and  useful  there.  Money  means 
power ;  it  is  the  secret  spring  of  strength ;  but  its 
whole  range  is  bounded  by  the  circumference  of 
utility.  And  when  a  man  is  fairly  out  in  business  life, 
and  sees  before  him  a  future  full  of  promise,  and  is  not 
very  far  off  from  that  haven  of  a  successful  retire- 
ment where  he  fain  would  be,  then  comes  the  thought 
of  death  as  a  damper  upon  his  glowing  enthusiasm. 
Then  comes  the  dream  of  another  life,  and  an  un- 
known future ;  the  unwelcome  dream  of  a  Heavenly 
Father  and  a  Heavenly  Father's  business. 

It  is  the  thought  of  action  and  earnest  engrossing 
occupation  which  causes  this.     What  is  coming  in  the 


Nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  191 

future  ?  Is  there  a  real  life  there ;  if  so,  how  am  I 
acting  ?  How  does  my  life  here  fit  me  for  my  work 
there  ?  And  thus  when  a  man  insists  upon  banishing 
the  thoughts  of  a  future :  when  he  will  sink  the  life 
to  come  in  the  life  which  now  is,  he  lives  and  moves 
in  the  world,  having  nothing  to  do  with  Christ ;  it  is 
the  thought  of  a  hereafter  which  drowns  him  in  the 
business  of  the  present;  it  is  the  world's  success 
which  sends  like  Pilate's  wife  this  message  to  him : 
"  Because  of  the  two,  hold  to  the  one  and  despise  the 
other ;  cling  to  the  world  of  present  reality  and  have 
nothing  to  do  with  Christ." 

Thus,  we  have  surveyed  the  three  great  temp- 
tations which  the  world  of  pleasure  and  of  study 
and  of  business  offer  to  all  those  who  are  active  and 
enthusiastic  and  ambitious.  The  world  says  to  each 
one  of  us,  "Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  Christ," 
for  you  will  suffer  many  things  in  dreams  because  of 
him,  if  you  try  to  serve  two  masters.  The  world  of 
pleasure  will  trouble  you  with  its  dream  of  duty ;  the 
world  of  pure  thought  will  trouble  you  with  its  dream 
of  action ;  and  the  world  of  man's  business  will  weary 
you  with  its  dream  of  the  Father's  business.  There 
is  a  worm  at  the  gourd  in  each  of  them ;  a  flaw  of  dis- 
satisfaction and  unrest  in  every  mixed  action,  which, 
like  the  feet  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  image,  is  partly 
iron  and  partly  clay;  partly  Christian,  partly  not. 
And  thus  it  is  that  the  principle  of  the  world's  mes- 


192  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

sage  is  precisely  the  principle  of  our  Saviour's  com- 
mand, "  Hold  to  the  one  and  forsake  the  other." 
Jesus  Christ  says,  "  Love  not  the  world."  The  world 
says,  "  Have  nothing  to  do  with  Christ." 

My  Christian  brethren,  one  word  to  you.  "We  are 
continually  meeting  men  around  us,  and  often  have 
intimate  dealings  with  them,  who  are  not  Christians. 
You  meet  them  in  society;  you  me'et  them  in  the 
community  life  of  the  university,  and  the  exchange, 
and  in  the  bustling  corners  of  business,  where  men 
meet  in  common  on  the  broad  basis  of  their  accepted 
merits,  and  where  allowances  for  individual  peculiar- 
ities are  never  made,  and  are  elements  utterly  un- 
known. 

How  are  we  to  treat  them  ?  What  is  our  Christian 
profession  for  ?  Is  it  in  fencing  us  in  from  the  world, 
at  the  same  time  to  fence  out  the  world  from  us  ?  Are 
we  to  clothe  ourselves  in  the  outer  coverings  of  relig- 
ion, and  talk  at  our  brethren  from  the  stock  of  goodly 
words  in  our  experience,  as  David  chose  the  pebbles 
from  his  shepherd's  bag,  and  hurled  them  at  Goliath  ? 
No,  my  brethren !  Not  so.  We  must  be  true  and 
manly  Christian  men.  We  must  take  men  as  we  find 
them  in  the  world.  We  must  not  sink  our  manhood 
in  what  we  may  be  disposed  to  think  are  the  require- 
ments of  a  Christian  profession,  or  else  we  cannot  obey 
the  apostle's  injunction,  and  quit  us  like  men.  We 
must  throw  away  all  cant,  not  the  foundation  basis, — 


Nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  193 

the  root  of  the  matter,  of  which  this  is  only  the  super- 
ficial covering,— for  somehow  it  is  hard  for  a  true  and 
honest  man  to  respect  a  whining  fellow-man,  no  matter 
how  near  canonization  he  may  be  in  the  church's 
calendar  of  sainthood. 

The  first  step,  then,  is  a  thorough  respect  for  one's 
character  as  a  true  Christian  in  God's  sight,  not  in 
man's.  The  second  step  is  to  abandon  those  merely 
technical  terms  which  we  never  use  about  the  real 
things  of  every- day  life.  Why  can  you  not  talk  to 
your  neighbor  about  being  a  Christian  in  an  open, 
manly  way,  and  not  feel  yourself  compelled  to  sidle 
up  to  the  subject  by  degrees,  and  with  the  help  of 
obsolete  and  long-buried  expressions.  They  were 
meant,  no  doubt,  to  cover  the  needs  of  the  soul, 
whereas,  in  reality,  they  too  often  only  bind.  They 
were  invented  to  help  forward  the  awakened  soul, 
whereas  they  deceive  men  with  mere  talk  about  the 
externalism  of  the  church,  as  an  institution,  and  dis- 
gust men  with  spiritual  things.  Never  let  us  be 
ashamed  of  Jesus,  and  his  Cross,  and  his  atoning 
work ;  we  glory  in  all  these !  Only,  if  the  Gospel 
needs  translating  and  explaining,  let  us  translate  it 
into  the  honest  language  of  to-day.  Do  not  wrap  it 
up  and  dwarf  it  in  the  phraseology  of  the  past.  Let 
us  tell  the  old,  old  story  of  the  Cross,  as  Jesus  would 
tell  it,  if  he  were  here  on  earth  in  this  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, to-day;  just  as  he  told  it  to  suit  the  common 

M 


194  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

wants   of   a   sin-stricken  world,   when  he   was  here 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago. 

And  now  does  any  one  say,  "  Well,  what  after  all  is 
the  Gospel?  What  shall  a  man  do  to  be  saved?  Is 
there  anything  different;  anything  new-fashioned 
about  it,  in  these  days  ?  "  Listen,  and  I  will  tell  you  : 


"  I  say  to  thee,  do  thou  repeat 
To  the  first  man  thou  mayest  meet 
In  lane,  highway,  or  open  street  — 

"  That  he,  and  we,  and  all  men  move 
Under  a  canopy  of  love  — 
As  broad  as  the  blue  sky  above. 

"  That  doubt  and  trouble,  fear  and  pain 
And  anguish, — all  are  shadows  vain, 
That  death  itself,  shall  not  remain! 

"  That  weary  deserts  we  may  tread, 
A  dreary  labyrinth  may  thread, 
Through  dark  ways,  underground,  be  led; 

"  Yet,  if  we  will  one  Guide  obey, 
The  dreariest  path,  the  darkest  way, 
Shall  issue  out  in  heavenly  day; 

"  And  we,  on  divers  shores  now  cast, 
Shall  meet,  our  perilous  voyage  past, 
All  in  our  Father's  house  at  last! 


"  And  ere  thou  leave  him,  say  thou  this 
Yet  one  word  more:  they  only  miss 
The  winning  of  that  filial  bliss 

"  Who  will  not  count  it  true  that  love, 
Blessing,  not  cursing,  rules  above; 
And  that  in  it  we  live  and  move. 


Nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  195 


"  And,  one  thing  further,  make  him  know 
That  to  believe  these  things  are  so, 
This  firm  faith  never  to  forego, 

"  Despite  of  all  which  seems  at  strife 
With  blessing;  all  with  curses  rife,- 
That  this  is  blessing:  this  is  life." 


Let  me  tell  you  one  text  which  has  the  whole 
Gospel  in  it,  after  all,  even  though  we  may  not 
believe  all  the  inferences  certain  theologians  have 
drawn  from  it.  It  is  this:  "No  man  can  come  unto 
me  unless  the  Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw  him." 
You  must  pray  for  that  drawing  power  to  lighten  upon 
your  soul.  God,  the  Spirit's  power,  must  take  hold 
upon  you,  and  grapple  with  your  sins  and  with  your 
old  nature,  before  you  can  truly  come  to  Christ  with 
any  motive  that  is  worth  anything  in  the  way  of 
successful  Christian  results.  I  cannot  tell  you  how 
this  revelation  is  to  come  to  you.  It  may  flash  upon 
you  suddenly,  as  the  lightning  does,  or  it  may  dawn 
upon  you  slowly,  as  the  morning  dawns.  But  it  will 
surely  come  if  you  seek  it,  and  pray  for  it.  Just  as 
the  heavy  water-spout  breaks,  in  drenching  columns, 
when  a  gun  is  fired  at  sea ;  just  as  the  Alpine  ava- 
lanche slides  its  snow -fields  into  the  yawning  gla- 
ciers, when  the  mountain  cannon  breakte  the  stillness 
of  the  atmosphere  with  its  reverberating  echo,  so  your 
deadness  must  be  broken ;  something  must  start  you, 
something  must  give  way,  if  you  are  not  to  sleep  on. 


196  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

untouched  in  your  sins,  forever !  Arise,  and  call  upon 
Jesus  Christ,  and  there  will  then  at  least  be  a  begin- 
ning. But  if  you  keep  Christ  at  the  judgment  seat  of 
your  own  mind,  waiting  for  your  final  decision ;  if  you 
tarry  for  the  world  to  send  you  its  message,  and  if  that 
message  to  you  is  that  which  Pilate's  wife  sent  to 
Pilate, — "Avoid  action  altogether,"  "Have  thou  noth- 
ing to  do  with  that  just  man/'  —  then  you  must  share 
the  fate  of  Pilate,  since  you  make  his  choice.  Oh ! 
choose  now,  between  the  friendship  of  the  world  and 
the  deep  heart-love,  the  infinite  compassion  of  Jesus, 
your  Saviour,  and  have  courage,  like  a  man,  to  say 
"  No  "  to  the  temptations  of  the  world,  when  it  urges 
you  to  avoid  action  altogether,  and  sends  to  your 
yielding,  hesitating  soul  the  anxious  message  of  the 
Roman  Governor's  wife,  "Have  thou  nothing  to  do 
with  that  just  man,  for  I  have  suffered  many  things 
this  day  in  a  dream  because  of  him." 


THE  DOOB  OPENED  AND  CHKIST  WITHIN, 


BY  KEY.   HENBY  M.   GKOUT. 


Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and 
open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he 
with  me.  —  Bev.  iii.  20. 


THE  person  from  whose  lips  these  words  proceed  is 
the  Lord  Jesus. 

Turning  to  "  see  the  voice  that  spake,"  the  seer  be- 
held one  like  unto  the  son  of  man,  wonderful  in  ap- 
pearance, and  pre-eminent  in  dignity,  authority,  power 
and  grace.  Not  only  is  he  the  faithful  witness,  the 
firsi>-begotten  of  the  dead,  the  prince  of  the  kings  of 
the  earth,  but  the  Son  of  God,  the  Lord,  the  Almighty. 
Having  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins,  and 
made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God,  he  pledges  to 
him  that  overcometh,  not  only  a  crown  of  lif e,  but  "  to 
sit  with  him  in  his  throne." 

From  such  lips,  language  like  that  of  the  text  is 
very  wonderful.  The  door  referred  to  must  be  that 
of  individual  hearts. 

197 


198  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

I.  There  are  hearts,  then,  into  which  Christ  has  as 
yet  found  no  entrance.  He  is  near,  is  at  the  very 
door,  has  made  his  nearness  felt,  and  yet  he  is  still 
without. 

Now,  this  is  far  from  true  of  those  only  whose  for- 
tune it  has  been  to  be  born  in  a  heathen  land.  Doubt- 
less among  such  there  may  be  those  who,  of  dimmer 
light,  have  made  more  faithful  use.  When  they  come 
from  the  east  and  the  west  and  the  north  and  the 
south  and  sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  who  knows 
how  many  such  will  put  the  unbelief  of  more  favored 
ones  to  shame  ?  It  is  recorded  that  Christ  came  unto 
his  own,  and  his  own  received  him  not.  So  it  is  now. 
In  the  most  Christian  communities,  not  a  few  live  re- 
gardless of  his  claims  and  benefits.  Not  a  few  think 
of  him  as  an  austere  man,  a  hard  master,  an  uncomely 
root  out  of  dry  ground. 

But  just  what  is  it  to  have  Christ  within  ?  It  is  not 
merely  to  be  familiar  with  the  story  of  his  life,  nor  to 
be  interested  in  speculations  concerning  his  nature,  nor 
to  make  account  of  his  moral  precepts,  nor  yet  to 
bear,  and  glory  in,  his  name.  In  his  visit  to  our  earth 
he  was  moved  by  one  desire  which  rose  superior  to 
every  other.  He  took  our  nature,  lived  and  taught, 
suffered  and  died,  rose  again  and  reascended  where  he 
was  before,  all  for  a  special  purpose.  And  he  has 
himself  declared  what  that  was.  "For  the  Son  of 
man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 


The  Door  Opened  and  Christ  Within.        199 

Hence  the  names  he  bore.  He  was  Immanuel,  God 
with  us ;  Jesus,  Saviour;  Christ,  the  Lord.  To  have 
received  him  is  affectionately  to  have  received  him  as 
divine  Saviour  and  Lord :  and  to  be  living  in  the  expe- 
rience of  those  benefits  he  came  to  procure  and  im- 
part. It  is  to  have  received  forgiveness  for  past  sins, 
and  begun  that  new  life,  strength  for  which  is  from 
him  alone. 

Do  you  often  think  what  it  is  not  to  have  Christ 
within?  "To  as  many  as  received  him  gave  he  power 
to  become  the  sons  of  God."  Not  to  have  received 
him,  then,  is  not  to  be  of  God's  spiritual  family.  He 
is  "in  the  believer  the  hope  of  glory."  Not  in  you, 
then,  you  must  be  destitute  of  such  a  hope.  To  be 
without  Christ  is  to  be  a  stranger  to  the  covenants  of 
promise,  having  no  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world. 
Is  it  not  well  to  ponder  these  things  ?  Is  it  not  well 
to  consider  whether,  for  the  sake  of  peace  and  safety, 
of  present  well-being  and  future  good,  one  should  not 
desire,  above  all  else,  to  have  Christ  within  ? 

H.  But  it  can  never  be  said  that  he  is  without  of 
his  own  choice.  The  representation  of  Scripture,  of 
his  own  lips  indeed,  is  that  he  desires  that  it  should 
be  otherwise.  "Behold,"  he  says,  "I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock."  That  is,  he  uses  means  to  arrest  atten- 
tion, and  to  move  men  to  bid  him  welcome. 

There  is  a  feeling,  on  the  part  of  some,  that  though 


200  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

Christ  is  the  sinner's  hope,  and  was  willing,  as  the 
captain  of  our  salvation,  to  be  made  perfect  through 
suffering,  nevertheless  he  now  stands  afar  off,  and  half 
indifferently  waits  for  us  to  take  the  first  steps.  Do 
you  need  to  be  reminded  that  that  is  not  the  gospel 
representation  ?  The  teaching  of  that  is,  that  the  in- 
difference and  unwillingness  are  on  our  part ;  that,  as 
he  once  came  a  great  way  that  he  might  get  down  to 
our  low  estate  and  bear  our  sins,  so  now  he  continues 
to  come,  and  that  often,  and  lingers,  nay,  tarries  long, 
that,  having  gained  an  entrance,  he  may  complete  in 
us  the  work  of  salvation. 

Note  the  great  variety,  as  well  as  the  fitness,  of  the 
means  he  is  seen  to  employ  to  arrest  attention ;  the 
multiplied  ways  in  which  he  may  be  said  to  knock -at 
the  door  of  human  hearts.  To  awaken  the  multitude 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  he  filled  the  Apostles  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  made  them  speak  with  other 
tongues.  To  arouse  the  jailer  at  Philippi  he  sent  an 
earthquake.  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  smitten  down  by  a 
blinding  light  from  heaven.  But  quite  as  often, 
oftener  we  believe,  the  means  employed  were  of  a 
less  marvelous  and  startling  nature.  To  the  many, 
he  came  by  the  simple  rehearsal  of  the  story  of  who 
Jesus  was,  and  what  he  had  suffered  and  done.  It 
was  Jesus,  knocking,  which  made  Felix  tremble  when 
Paul  reasoned  of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  a 
judgment  to  come ;  which  the  Ethiopian  heard  in 


The  Door  Opened  and  Christ  Within.       201 

Philip's  question :  "  Understandest  thou  what  thou 
readest?"  and  which  arrested  Lydia's  heart  as  she 
attended  unto  the  things  that  were  spoken  of  Paul. 

Nor  is  there  less  diversity  in  the  way  by  which  he 
now  makes  his  nearness  felt.  Thomas  Chalmers  was 
first  thoroughly  aroused  by  the  death  of  a  friend,  and 
an  illness  which  well-nigh  carried  himself  to  the  grave. 
Luther  was  awakened  by  a  providence  similar  to  the 
first,  and  a  thunderbolt  which  fell  at  his  feet.  John 
Angell  James,  when  a  youth,  was  effectually  moved 
by  the  sight  of  a  fellow-apprentice,  daring  in  the  pres- 
ence of  other  lodgers  in  the  same  room,  to  kneel  at 
his  bedside  for  silent  prayer.  A  child's  question, "  Why 
do  not  you  love  Jesus  ?  "  and  that  of  an  ignorant  la- 
borer, "Sir,  cannot  you,  too,  say  a  word  for  Christ?" 
the  one  addressed  to  an  open  infidel  and  the  other  to 
a  skeptical  lawyer,  afterwards  a  widely-honored  minis- 
ter, proved  in  each  case  to  be  the  voice  of  the  Heav- 
enly Seeker.  It  is  told  of  a  worldly  and  careless 
woman,  troubled  about  many  things,  but  neglectful  of 
the  one  thing  needful,  that,  being  alone  in  her  room 
one  night,  the  going  out  of  the  lamp  which  lighted  it 
left  her  in  darkness.  Involuntarily  and  half  aloud  she 
said,  "  There  is  no  oil  in  the  lamp."  The  echo  of  her 
own  words  startled  her.  "Yes!"  she  added,  after  a 
moment's  pause,  "  in  the  lamp  of  my  heart  there  is  no 
oil :  what  shall  I  do  when  the  Master  comes  and  others 
go  in  to  the  upper  feast?" 

M* 


202  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

So,  whatever  awakens  sober  thought  of  the  uncer- 
tainty of  life,  and  the  nearness  of  God,  of  the  value 
of  the  soul  and  the  need  of  preparation  for  the  life  to 
come,  may  be  regarded  as  of  the  nature  of  that  knock- 
ing of  which  Christ  speaks.  Loud  and  alarming,  or 
gentle  and  persuasive,  all  serve  the  same  gracious  pur- 
pose. Those  chidings  of  conscience  you  may  so  often 
have  wished  would  be  silent;  that  death  of  a  friend 
which  brought  the  possibility  of  your  own  so  vividly 
before  you;  the  invitations  and  reminders  of  those 
whose  solicitude  has  sometimes  half  provoked  your 
impatience ;  the  sermons  and  prayers  and  hymns  you 
hear  in  the  house  of  God ;  thoughts  of  sin  and  need, 
of  duty  and  responsibility,  of  death  and  what  is  be- 
yond, which  come  you  know  not  whence  nor  how,  are 
not  of  chance.  Each  and  all,  they  tell  you  that  Christ 
is  at  the^door,  and  eager  to  come  in. 

HE.  Observe,  now,  the  purpose  of  the  Saviour  in 
seeking  entrance  to  the  heart ;  what  comes  of  giving 
him  a  welcome.  "I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  sup  with 
him,  and  he  with  me." 

First  of  all,  this  coming  in  of  Christ,  to  sup  with  us 
and  we  with  him,  signifies  peace.  It  has  been  said 
that  to  eat  of  another's  salt,  or  bread,  is  to  be  safe 
with  him,  and  bound  to  do  him  no  hurt ;  that  it  was 
for  this  reason  that  David  counted  it  so  bitter  and 
wicked  a  thing  when  Ahithophel,  "He  that  ate  of  my 


The  Door  Opened  and  Christ  Within.       203 

bread"  went  over  to  Absalom;  that,  when  the  Jews, 
having  offered  a  sacrifice,  feasted  on  the  remaining 
flesh,  it  was  to  show  that,  expiation  having  now  been 
made,  God  and  the  worshiper  were  at  peace.  To  give 
and  receive  hospitality  has  ever  been  looked  upon  as 
an  expression  of  mutual  regard.  To  sup  together  is 
to  be  in  relations  of  friendship  and  favor. 

And  nothing  is  plainer  than  that  this  experience  of 
conscious  love  to  God  and  of  being  loved  by  him,  is 
peculiar  to  those  who  have  opened  to  him  the  door  of 
the  heart.  It  is  quite  true  that  he  regards  the  most 
indifferent,  nay,  hardened  and  obstinate,  with  great 
compassion.  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his 
only-begotten  son.  Christ  so  loved  the  world  that  he 
humbled  himself  and  became  obedient  unto  death. 
But  this  is  the  love  of  pity.  It  is  compassion  yearning 
to  do  us  good,  not  willing  that  any  should  perish: 
quite  a  different  thing,  as  you  perceive,  from  the  love 
of  approbation,  or  the  look  of  complacency  and  favor. 
Viewed  as  capable  of  enjoyment  and  misery,  Christ 
looks  upon  all  with  unspeakable  tenderness.  Viewed 
as  cherishing  sin,  refusing  to  part  with  it,  he  cannot 
but  regard  such  as  reject  his  offered  grace  and  help, 
with  frowns  of  displeasure.  But  no  sooner  does  the 
sinner  break  with  sin  and  open  the  door  to  him  who 
came  to  save  from  its  curse  and  power,  than  this 
frown  is  changed  to  an  approving  smile.  Doubtless 
the  form  of  the  Saviour's  words,  "  Sup  with  him  ^nd 


204  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

he  with  me,"  is  intended  to  indicate  this  mutual  recon- 
ciliation and  regard.  The  Saviour  is  glad  to  come  in. 
The  relenting  heart  is  glad  of  his  incoming. 

Nor  is  this  mutual  gladness  short-lived.  When  cer- 
tain came  to  Jesus  asking,  "  Lord,  how  is  it  that  thou 
wilt  manifest  thyself  unto  us  and  not  unto  the  world?  " 
he  made  answer,  "If  any  man  love  me  he  will  keep 
my  words,  and  I  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we 
will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with  him." 
That  is,  he  comes  to  abide.  Let  me  beg  those,  who 
may  trust  that  they  are  entering  upon  a  new  life,  not 
to  forget  that  converse  with  Christ,  much  speaking 
with  him,  the  frequent  outgoings  of  thought  and 
heart  to  him  as  one  who  is  near  and  trusted  and 
desired,  all  that  we  mean  by  fellowship  with  him,  and 
by  union  as  of  the  branch  to  the  vine,  are  included  in 
the  experiences  of  those  who  have  truly  thus  begun 
to  live.  Henceforth  yours  is  to  be  a  life  hid  with 
Christ  in  God.  In  that  heart  of  yours,  once  filled  with 
earth  and  self  and  sin,  you  have  made  room  for  him. 
He  is  now  there.  And  it  is  because  he  is  there,  not 
because  you  are  yourself  so  resolute  and  strong,  that 
you  are  something  other  than  what  you  were.  Take 
care,  therefore,  to  renew  each  day  those  expressions  of 
welcome  which  you  uttered  when  he  was  first  received. 
Take  care  to  ask  of  him  the  daily  supplies  needed  to 
make  you  steadfast  and  strong,  as  well  as  peaceful  and 
glad.  Chalmers  tells  us  that,  before  conversion,  he 


The  Door  Opened  and  Christ  Within.       205 

felt  himself  in  bondage,  but  afterwards  his  soul  was 
unfettered  as  a  soaring  bird.  Others  have  made  use 
of  the  same  figure,  testifying  that,  having  opened  the 
whole  being  to  Christ,  the  now  free,  strong  and  joyous 
spirit  has  felt  itself  not  unlike  the  bird  that  has 
escaped  the  net,  and  springs  exultant  on  the  wing. 

A  remarkable  story  is  told  by  the  late  Dr.  Bushnell 
of  an  underwitted  person,  generally  taken  for  an  idiot, 
who,  in  addition  to  his  natural  disadvantages,  was  deep 
in  the  vices  of  profanity  and  drunkenness.  In  a  time 
of  religious  awakening,  this  forlorn  being  came  to 
inquire  the  way  of  salvation.  Straightway  he  became  a 
subject  of  mirth  among  the  light-minded;  while  Chris- 
tian people  looked  upon  him  with  more  of  pity  than 
hope.  And  yet,  from  that  hour,  on  through  succeed- 
ing years,  he  was  manifestly  a  new  creature.  To  his 
old  vicious  habits  he  never  yielded  an  inch.  He  was 
an  example  of  constancy  and  consistency  to  many. 
He  wore  out  more  than  one  Bible  by  faithful  use.  He 
saved  of  his  earnings,  for  objects  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence. When  asked  by  his  friends  to  explain  what 
was,  to  all,  so  great  a  wonder,  how  it  was  that  pro- 
fanity and  drunkenness  never  once  got  an  advantage 
of  him,  his  uniform  reply  was :  "  Why,  I  have  seen 
Jesus."  The  incoming  of  Christ  means  power  as  well 
as  peace.  It  means  power  so  to  live  and  walk,  and  so 
at  last  to  die,  as  not  to  fail  of  a  sight  of  him  in  his 
glory,  and  of  a  place  at  his  right  hand. 


206  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

IY.  It  remains  to  note  the  condition  of  all  this  true 
good.  That  Christ  may  come  in,  what  is  there  for  us, 
on  our  part,  to  do  ?  Some  of  you  may  be  deeply  in- 
terested in  this  inquiry.  I  would  that  this  were  the 
case  with  many,  for  the  answer  is  neither  difficult,  nor 
afar  off.  It  is  right  before  us,  and  very  simple :  "  If 
any  man  open  the  door ! " 

Seemingly,  the  language  employed  in  the  Scriptures 
to  show  how  a  sinner  lost  becomes  a  sinner  saved,  is 
extremely  varied.  It  is,  "Kepent  and  be  converted, 
that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out;"  "Ye  shall  seek 
me,  and  find  me,  when  ye  shall  search  for  me  with  all 
the  heart;"  "Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved;"  "Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive;" 
"Sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give; "  "  Take  my  yoke  upon 
you;"  "Whosoever  of  you  forsaketh  not  all  that  he 
hath,  cannot  be  my  disciple."  One's  first  thought  is 
likely  to  be  that  here  is  not  only  great  variety,  but 
confusion,  nay,  contradiction.  Yery  far  from  this, 
however,  is  the'  truth.  Addressed  to  minds  in  differ- 
ent states,  they  are  but  different  ways  of  saying  one 
and  the  same  thing.  To  a  thirsty  child,  standing  by  a 
fountain,  cup  in  hand,  it  would  be  enough  to  say, 
"Dip  and  drink."  But,  if  the  cup  were  already  filled 
with  something  worthless,  but  greatly  prized,  the 
address  would  take  some  other  form:  "Deny  yourself; 
be  earnest ;  that  imagined  treasure  must  be  cast 
away."  When  it  is  said,  "If  any  man  hear  my  voice, 


The  Door  Opened  and  Christ  Within.       207 

and  open  the  door,"  all  that  may  be  implied,  which 
was  expressed  in  the  varied  language  just  quoted. 
You  repent  that  Christ  has  so  long  been  kept  without ; 
for  his  sake  are  ready  for  any  self-denial  to  which  he 
may  call  you;  believe  that  he  is  near,  and  all  that  he 
claims  to  be;  and  are  willing  that  he  should  rule  in 
your  heart  and  life,  as  well  as  enrich  you  with  treasure 
and  gracious  power.  And  it  is  because  of  this,  that 
you  are  now,  at  length,  ready  to  say, 

"  Come  in,  come  in,  thou  blessed  one, 
Who  can  resist  such  grace!" 

That  is,  in  thought  and  heart,  you  do  precisely 
what  you  would,  in  outward  act,  were  some  friend  you 
had  wronged  and  resisted,  now  at  the  door  of  your 
dwelling. 

"Oh  ! "  you  say,  "but  this  is  too  simple."  No,  it 
is  not  too  simple.  And  it  is  to  be  feared  that  it  is 
neither  the  simplicity  nor  the  difficulty  of  the  way 
that  keeps  the  many  from  it.  "  But,"  you  reply,  "  I 
have  often  said,  Come  in !  I  am  saying  it  now  ;  I  wish 
him  to  enter  and  take  possession."  Do  you  mean  all 
this  ?  Are  you  dealing  honestly  with  yourself  ?  Con- 
sider a  moment.  Is  it  not  possible  that,  so  far  from 
having  made  room  and  swung  wide  the  door,  your 
heart  is  so  crowded  with  things  you  are  not  willing  to 
have  cast  out,  that  for  such  a  visitor  there  is  no  place  ? 
More  than  this ;  heaps  of  rubbish  may  crowd  against 


208  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

the  door  so  that  love,  even  so  powerful  as  his,  cannot 
force  an  entrance.  There,  for  instance  is  your  pride, 
an  unwillingness  to  go  out  and  have  it  known  that 
henceforth  you  belong  to  him  ;  your  self-righteous- 
ness, a  persuasion  you  cannot  surrender  that  your 
moral  virtues  and  many  upright  and  noble  qualities 
deserve  divine  reward ;  your  ambition  and  love  of 
earthly  pleasure,  eagerness  for  power  or  place  or  grat- 
ification of  sense,  which  you  are  not  quite  ready  to 
exchange  even  for  all  the  riches  of  Christ.  So  far 
from  having  opened  the  door,  these  may  be  piled 
against  it.  The  sinner,  praying  for  the  grace  of  salva- 
tion, is  very  often  like  the  man  who,  while  saying  to 
a  friend,  "  Come  in  !  "  should,  with  his  whole  strength, 
be  holding  the  door  lest  his  invitation  be  accepted ; 
the  louder  he  calls,  the  more  firmly  he  braces.  In 
some  sense,  such  an  one  does  want  the  Saviour.  But, 
in  no  sense  does  he  want  him  just  yet.  At  best,  the 
meaning  of  all  his  prayer  is,  as  Augustine  so  long 
cried :  "  Lord,  cleanse  me,  but  not  now !  " 

In  closing,  let  me  remind  you,  then,  that  Christ  does 
not  force  himself  upon  any  heart.  You  must  cease 
resistance,  cast  out  the  rubbish,  and  open  the  door. 
He  comes  very  near.  He  waits  patiently  and  long. 
He  knocks  often,  sometimes  very  hard.  He  takes 
many  ways  to  remind  you  of  his  nearness  and  love. 
But  you  must  yourself  consent  to  receive  him.  Pre- 


The  Door  Opened  and  Christ  Within        209 

f  erring  him  to  your  sins,  to  your  best  treasure,  to  your 
standing  in  society,  to  your  chief  delights  and  highest 
ambitions,  to  your  dearest  friend,  you  must  cordially 
and  honestly  bid  him  enter  and  take  possession.  Can 
you  not  do  this  ?  Can  you  not  do  it  to-day ;  this 
hour  ;  this  moment  ? 

There  is  one  phrase  here  which  we  have  not  yet 
emphasized:  "If  any  man  hear  my  voice."  You  may 
think  yourself  too  old,  too  young,  too  wise,  too  igno- 
rant, too  sinful,  or  too  good.  Christ  says,  "If  any 
man  !  "  He  means  you. 


FAITH  THE  SOUKCE  OF  FAITHFULNESS, 


BY  REV.   JOSEPH  COOK. 


Sanctified  by  Faith.—  Acts  xxvi.  18. 

WHO  are  faithful?  Those  who  have  faith.  What 
is  faith  ?  That  which  makes  a  man  faithful. 

When  faith  is  discussed  we  ought  to  listen  first, 
midst,  and  last,  to  the  intonations  which  came  to  Paul 
out  of  a  light  bright  above  the  brightness  of  the  noon ; 
for  in  all  the  Scriptures  there  is  no  proclamation  as  to 
the  nature  and  the  necessity  of  faith  more  mysteri- 
ously majestic  and  hallowed  than  the  meridian  words, 
our  Lord's  own,  constituting  Paul  a  teacher  of  the 
globe  in  religion.  After  receiving  a  fathomless  mes- 
sage from  the  Unseen  Holy,  Paul  "was  not  disobe- 
dient to  the  heavenly  vision,"  but  taught  first  at 
Jerusalem  and  then  at  Athens,  Corinth,  and  Rome, 
repentance,  faith,  and  the  sanctification  which  is  the 
result  of  both.  We  must  never  forget  that  our  Lord 
had  many  things  to  say  to  his  disciples  after  he  left 
the  world ;  and  that  this  supreme  proclamation  of  the 
necessity  of  faith  made  to  Paul  when  his  apostleship 

210 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  211 

began,  is  a  proclamation  equally  for  you  and  me  here 
in  Boston  to-night.  Many  of  us  have  a  kind  of  faith 
that  does  not  sanctify  us.  In  exhibiting  faith  as  the 
source  of  faithfulness,  I  wish  to  be  very  elementary ; 
and  therefore  I  must  speak  from  human  example,  in 
order  that,  drawing  nigh  in  the  light  of  dawn,  we  may 
not  at  first  sight  be  dazzled  by  the  glory  of  the  Atone- 
ment until  we  are  bewildered,  as  many  a  philosopher 
has  been  in  Boston  and  elsewhere. 

On  the  slope  of  Beacon  Hill,  a  New  England  author, 
who  ought  always  to  be  named  side  by  side  with  Pes- 
talozzi,  once  made  it  a  rule,  in  a  school  full  of  subtle 
thought,  that  if  a  pupil  violated  its  regulations  the 
master  should  substitute  his  own  voluntary  sacrificial 
chastisement  for  that  pupil's  punishment.  Bronson 
Alcott,  were  he  here,  would  allow  me  to  say,  as  I  have 
said  publicly  in  his  presence  elsewhere,  that  he  has 
told  me  that  that  one  regulation  almost  Christianized 
his  school.  The  pupils  were  quite  young,  and  for  that 
reason  the  measure  was  effective  among  them.  He 
was  no  dreamer.  He  would  never  have  adopted  this 
measure  except  with  the  sensitive.  Nevertheless,  the 
operation  of  these  untutored,  hardly  unfolded,  and, 
therefore,  unstained  hearts  indicated  what  man  is. 
"  One  day,"  says  Bronson  Alcott,  "  I  called  up  before 
me  a  pupil  of  eight  or  ten  years  of  age,  who  had  vio- 
lated an  important  regulation  of  the  school.  All  the 
pupils  were  looking  on,  and  they  knew  what  the  rule 


212  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

of  the  school  was.  I  put  the  ruler  into  the  hand  of 
that  offending  pupil ;  I  extended  my  hand ;  I  told  him 
to  strike.  The  instant  the  boy  saw  my  extended  hand 
and  heard  my  command  to  strike  I  saw  a  struggle  be- 
gin in  his  face.  A  new  light  sprang  up  in  his  counte- 
nance. A  new  set  of  shuttles  seemed  to  be  weaving  a 
new  nature  within  him.  I  kept  my  hand  extended, 
and  the  school  was  in  tears.  The  boy  struck  once, 
and  he  himself  burst  into  tears.  I  constantly  watched 
his  face,  and  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  bath  of  fire,  which 
was  giving  him  a  new  nature.  He  had  a  different 
mood  toward  the  school  and  toward  the  violated  law. 
The  boy  seemed  transformed  by  the  idea  that  I  should 
take  chastisement  in  place  of  his  punishment.  He 
went  back  to  his  seat,  and  ever  after  was  one  of  the 
most  docile  of  all  the  pupils  in  that  school,  although 
he  had  been  at  first  one  of  the  rudest."  This  story 
does  not  come  from  Greece.  It  is  actual  history  in 
Boston.  That  is  the  way  human  nature  is  made  in 
New  England,  here  on  Beacon  Hill ;  and  my  impres- 
sion is  that  human  nature  is  just  the  same  everywhere. 
If  Bronson  Alcott  had  done  that  with  a  Greek  boy,  the 
effect  would  have  been  the  same.  It  would  have  been 
the  same  with  a  Brahmin  boy,  a  Negro  boy,  or  an 
Esquimaux  boy. 

Now,  will  you  be  so  kind,  my  most  restless  and  un- 
believing friends,  as  to  take  a  little  arc  of  the  moral 
law  revealed  to  you  in  this  example  and  extend  it 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  213 

through  the  whole  circumference  of  the  circle  ?  You 
say  that  law  is  a  unit  everywhere.  You  say  that 
physical  law  is  the  same  here  and  among  the  stars. 
You  say  that  if  you  know  what  gravitation  is  here, 
you  know  what  it  is  in  the  North  Star.  But,  if  physi- 
cal law  is  the  same  thing  everywhere,  moral  law  is  the 
same  thing  everywhere.  If  you,  standing  on  the  atom 
we  call  earth,  can  take  a  little  arc  of  the  physical  law 
and  estimate  what  that  law  is  everywhere,  you  may 
take  a  little  arc  of  the  moral  law  and  estimate  what 
that  is  everywhere ;  and  you  are  just  as  scientific  in 
the  last  act  as  in  the  first.  So  our  Lord  assumes  in 
his  parables  that  the  moral  law  is  the  same  every- 
where. Therefore  it  is  not  enough  for  me  to  say  that 
this  boy  would  have  been  affected  just  as  he  was  if  he 
had  been  a  Greek  or  an  Italian  or  an  Esquimaux  boy. 
Undoubtedly,  any  free  being  anywhere  in  the  universe 
would  have  been  affected  in  just  that  way.  I  cannot 
think  that  the  moral  law  is  so  very  different  in  other 
worlds,  that  I  have  not  the  right  to  draw  an  inference 
as  to  what  it  is  there  from  its  operation  here,  by  ex- 
tending the  circumference  of  it  from  any  arc  I  can 
accurately  measure.  Assuredly,  under  that  discipline 
it  was  natural  for  the  boy  to  be  moved  as  he  could  not 
be  in  any  other  way.  Moved  to  what?  Moved  to 
shame,  in  view  of  his  own  transgressions;  moved  to 
reverence  of  and  love  for  the  master;  moved  to  loyalty 
to  that  rule  which  he  had  broken. 


214  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

People  say  that  all  illustrations  of  the  Atonement  are 
imagination,  or  taken  out  of  some  doubtful  corner  of  the 
newspapers ;  but,  if  you  please,  this  occurred  in  Bos- 
ton, among  the  philosophers,  and  to  a  Concord  philoso- 
pher. I  have  tears  sometimes,  and  sometimes  groans, 
for  that  style  of  unrest  which  will  not  believe  the  deep 
instincts  of  the  soul;  which  draws  down  upon  itself 
God's  supreme  curse  of  blindness,  because  it  refuses  to 
follow  the  light  it  has,  and  which,  by  sinning  against 
that  light,  loses  half  the  light  it  possesses.  I  affirm 
that  we  all  know  that  it  is  natural  for  human  nature, 
looking  on  the  chastisement  of  a  ruler  for  the  punish- 
ment of  the  subject,  to  feel  two  things :  first,  that  the 
violation  of  the  law  is  not  excused,  or  that  there  is  no 
letting  down  of  the  dignity  of  the  law  at  all;  and 
secondly,  that  there  could  not  be  brought  to  bear  upon 
the  rebellious  subject  any  motive  so  likely  to  win  him 
to  loyalty  as  that  substitution  of  the  ruler's  chastise- 
ment for  the  punishment  of  the  subject.  There  is 
surely  nothing  known  to  philosophy,  or  imagination,  or 
to  human  experience,  that  takes  hold  of  the  soul  like 
that.  This  is  a  fact.  It  is  just  as  much  a  fact  as  any- 
thing about  geological  strata.  It  is  just  as  hard  a  fact, 
and  will  bear  the  microscope  and  the  scalpel  just  as 
well.  We  are  made  so  that  such  a  sight  takes  hold  of 
us.  I  am  not  asking  now  whether  an  Atonement  has 
ever  been  made ;  but  I  do  say  that  if  one  has  been 
made  on  that  principle,  then  that  is  what  we  want,  for 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  215 

that  is  what  will  take  hold  of  us  as  nothing  else  can. 
That  is  what  is  to  be  held  up  above  all  philosophy; 
that  is  what  is  to  be  placed  over  Beacon  Hill  and  the 
North  End.  That  is  what  is  to  be  told  over  and  over, 
in  all  ways,  until  men,  gazing  on  that  spectacle,  are 
transformed  by  the  gaze  into  loyalty — into  glad  alle- 
giance to  their  Saviour  as  their  King.  My  friends,  I 
am  not  ashamed  of  the  power  of  that  natural  law 
which  lies  behind  what  we  call  the  principle  of  the 
Atonement.  I  ani  not  ashamed  of  the  Cross  of  Christ, 
for  it  is  a  part  of  the  nature  of  things.  It  is  not  an 
insertion. into  the  universe  to  correct  mistakes.  It  is 
not  an  afterthought.  Law  is  a  unit  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  time  and  space ;  and  if  you  can  meas- 
ure a  little  arc  of  the  moral  law  as  exhibited  in  this 
school  of  the  Concord  philosopher,  you  will  obtain 
some  glimpse  of  the  principle  on  which  the  Atonement 
operates ;  for  the  definition  of  the  Atonement  is  the 
substitution  of  the  voluntary  sacrificial  chastisement 
of  Christ  for  man's  punishment. 

Why  do  I  make  a  distinction  between  chastisement 
and  punishment  ?  Because  facts  require  me  to  do  so. 
In  this  example  was  Bronson  Alcott  punished  ?  Not  at 
all.  Was  Bronson  Alcott  guilty?  Not  at  all.  Was 
the  personal  demerit  of  that  pupil  transferred  to  Bron- 
son Alcott?  Not  at  all.  Such  transference  of  per- 
sonal demerit  is  an  impossibility  in  the  nature  of 
things.  Nevertheless,  we  have  in  Boston  a  school  of 


216  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

theology  and  preaching,  and  a  wide  range  of  popular 
sentiment,  which  regards  Christianity  as  teaching  in 
the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement  a  self-contradiction,  an 
absurdity — namely,  the  idea  that  personal  demerit  is 
transferred  from  one  individual  to  another. 

James  Martineau  says  that  the  idea  of  a  vicarious 
Atonement  is  abhorrent  to  him,  because  it  includes  the 
assertion  that  Christ,  an  innocent  being,  was  punished. 
I  wish  to  admit  that  orthodoxy  has  been  careless  in  her 
phrases  again  and  again.  I  do  not  know  how  many 
have  been  thrown  into  the  lawless  license  of  liberalism 
by  that  misconception  of  the  Atonement  which  assumes 
that  in  it  an  innocent  being  was  punished  and  personal 
demerit  was  transferred.  But  law  is  one  through  the 
universe,  and  I  have  a  perfect  right  to  stand  on  this 
example  of  Alcott's  school.  I  affirm  that  you  know 
perfectly  well  that  Bronson  Alcott,  in  the  strict  sense, 
did  not  suffer  punishment.  He  was  innocent.  What 
did  happen?  Bronson  Alcott  voluntarily  accepted 
chastisement,  not  punishment.  What  is  the  definition 
of  punishment?  Pain  inflicted  for  personal  blame- 
worthiness.  What  is  chastisement  ?  Pain  suffered  for 
the  improvement  of  the  one  who  suffers  it,  or  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  witness  it.  Does  the  latter  imply 
guilt  ?  Not  at  all.  A  mother  has  a  vicious  son,  and 
she  has  done  her  duty  by  him,  let  us  suppose.  She 
has  no  remorse,  for  I  assume  she  is  free  from  all  guilt 
for  her  son's  bad  habits ;  but  she  suffers  terribly.  Is 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  217 

that  pain  punishment?  No;  chastisement.  We  must 
make  this  distinction  in  Boston,  at  least,  where  so  long 
the  caricature  has  been  placarded  on  the  highest  walls, 
asserting  that  in  the  Atonement  punishment  is  inflicted 
on  an  innocent  being  and  personal  demerit  transferred. 
I  never  was  taught  that  Christ  suffered  punishment. 
I  had  to  learn  out  of  books  that  any  one  made  it  an 
objection  to  Christianity  that  an  innocent  being  was 
punished.  If  religious  science  will  begin  the  fashion, 
and  never  use  a  term  of  importance  without  defining 
it,  I,  for  one,  will  try  to  keep  step  with  that  fashion  as 
one  of  the  most  blessed  of  all  modern  improvements, 
and  one  I  should  like  to  force,  by  the  contagion  of 
general  acceptance,  upon  all  who  differ  from  Christian 
views.  The  chastisement  of  our  offenses  was  laid 
upon  our  Lord.  It  is  nowhere  presumed  in  the  Scrip- 
tures that  personal  demerit  can  be  transferred  from 
individuality  to  individuality. 

It  is  self-evident  that  personal  ill-desert  cannot  be 
removed  from  person  to  person. 

What !  Sin  not  taken  off  us  and  put  upon  our  Lord  ? 
Our  guilt  not  borne  by  our  Saviour  ?  No  ;  not  in 
the  sense  in  which  you  understand  guilt.  Blame- 
worthiness  is  not  transferred  from  us  to  him,  and  can 
not  be.  We  know  that  our  Lord  had  no  sin,  and  that 
there  can  be  no  taking  off  personal  ill-desert  from  one 
personality  and  putting  it  upon  another.  That  word 
guilt  is  a  fog  unless  you  remember  that  behind  it  lie 

N* 


218  •     The  Gospel  Invitation 

two  meanings.  Guilt  signifies,  first,  personal  blame- 
worthiness;  second,  obligation  to  render  satisfaction 
to  violated  law.  In  the  former  sense  guilt  can  not  be 
transferred  from  person  to  person.  In  the  latter  it 
can  be.  Our  Lord  is  no  murderer ;  no  perjurer. 
There  is  no  divergence  of  theological  opinion  from 
self-evident  truth  when  self-evident  truth  declares  that 
personal  demerit  is  not  transferable  from  personality 
to  personality.  Ghastliest  of  all  misconceptions  ever 
put  before  this  city,  or  any  other,  is  the  assertion  that 
the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement  implies,  first,  that  an 
innocent  being  is  made  guilty  in  the  sense  of  being 
personally  blameworthy ;  and  secondly,  that  that  in- 
nocent being  is  punished  in  the  sense  of  suffering  pain 
for  personal  ill  desert.  Both  these  propositions  all 
clear  thought  discards,  all  religious  science  condemns. 
We  have  no  doctrine  of  the  Atonement  which  declares 
that  personal  demerit  is  laid  upon  our  Lord,  or  that, 
in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  he  suffered  punishment, 
—  that  is,  pain  inflicted  for  personal  blameworthiness. 
He  had  no  personal  blameworthiness.  He  was  an  inno- 
cent being — as  he  always  will  be — and  never  did,  can,  or 
will  suffer  punishment,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word. 

Guilt — in  the  second  sense,  or  obligation  to  satisfy 
the  demands  of  a  violated  law — may  be  removed 
when  the  Author  of  the  law  substitutes  his  own  volun- 
tary sacrificial  chastisement  for  our  punishment. 

When  such  a  substitution  is  made,  the  highest  pos- 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  219 

sible  motives  to  loyalty  to  that  Ruler  are  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  rebellious  subject. 

If  any  great  arrangement  on  this  principle  has  been 
made  by  the  Father,  Redeemer,  and  Sanctifier  of  the 
universe,  that  arrangement  meets  with  exactness  the 
deepest  wants  of  man.  It  is  the  highest  possible  dis- 
suasive from  the  love  of  sin ;  and  it  is  the  only  possible 
deliverance  from  the  guilt  of  sin,  in  the  sense  not  of 
personal  blameworthiness,  but  of  obligation  to  satisfy 
the  violated  law  which  says  "I  ought." 

Such  a  great  arrangement  may,  therefore,  with  sci- 
entific exactness  be  known  to  be  needed,  and  so  needed 
as  to  be  called  properly  the  desire  of  all  nations. 

The  Atonement  which  reason  can  prove  is  needed, 
Revelation  declares  has  been  made. 

It  is  perfectly  clear,  however,  that  more  than  the 
moral  influence  of  the  character,  sufferings,  and  pre- 
cepts of  our  Lord,  is  concerned  in  the  Atonement. 
What  is  called  the  moral  theory  of  the  Atonement 
will  not  exhaust  the  meaning  of  even  this  human  case. 
It  is  very  evident  that  the  pupil's  peace  before  the 
law  of  the  school  is  the  result  not  of  his  own  work,  but 
of  the  master's  work ;  and  not  of  the  master's  moral 
influence  and  general  character  merely,  but  of  his  sub- 
stitution of  chastisement  for  punishment. 

Nevertheless,  the  pupil  must  be  loyal  to  the  master ; 
and  thus,  though  not  saved  by  works,  cannot  be  saved 
without  works. 


220  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

It  is  not  simply  the  moral  influence  or  character  and 
general  example  of  the  master  which  transforms  the 
boy  into  the  mood  of  loyalty.  But  this  substitution  of 
voluntary  sacrificial  chastisement  for  punishment  is  the 
force  which  throws  the  shuttles  that  weave  a  new  char- 
acter in  the  soul  thus  delivered  from  punishment.  Al- 
though the  record  of  disobedience  cannot  be  changed, 
and  must  be  remembered  with  regret,  such  memory, 
when  loyalty  is  once  made  so  perfect  in  love  and  trust 
as  to  cast  out  fear,  will  be  but  a  spur  to  adoration  of 
the  condescension  shown  to  the  released  soul. 

What  happened  further  in  that  school?  Suppose 
that  boy  had  been  called  up  and  punished  a  second 
time  after  the  master  had  been  chastised.  Would  that 
have  been  right?  Would  the  school  have  said  that 
was  right?  The  master  has  accepted  chastisement 
voluntarily ;  and  now  you  cannot  call  that  boy  up  and 
punish  him  a  second  time.  The  school  would  say  that 
is  wrong.  It  is  against  all  human  nature  to  do  that. 
What  has  the  master  done  ?  He  has  paid  the  de$b  of 
that  boy  to  the  school.  But  the  master  is  not  to 
blame?  No.  The  master  has  not  been  punished? 
No.  Assuredly,  this  case,  on  the  human  side,  looks 
intelligible.  I  think  I  can  understand  that  side.  But 
do  you  mean  to  say  that  in  the  arc  of  that  little  ex- 
ample are  involved  principles  that  sweep  the  whole 
curve  of  the  Atonement  or  show  in  part  how  God's 
chastisement  was  substituted  for  our  punishment? 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  221 

Yes,  by  more  than  a  glimpse;  for  law  is  the  same 
everywhere. 

The  caricature  which  represents  the  doctrine  of  the 
Atonement  as  demoralizing  is  the  most  miserable  of 
all.  That  boy  goes  back  to  his  seat  at  peace  with  the 
law  of  the  school.  How  ?  By  his  good  works  ?  No. 
Without  good  works  ?  No.  You  say  it  is  a  mystery 
that  people  teach  when  they  say  a  man  is  not  saved 
by  good  works  and  yet  is  not  saved  without  them  ? 
That  boy  has  violated  the  law ;  he  has  seen  his  mas- 
ter's chastisement  substituted  for  his  punishment,  and 
he  goes  back  to  his  seat  at  peace,  and  you  cannot  de- 
mand from  him  another  payment  of  the  debt;  but 
would  the  first  payment  be  of  any  value  if  the  boy 
were  to  lose  loyalty  to  that  master  ?  If  you  can  sup- 
pose that  the  boy  would  disregard  that  supreme  exhi- 
bition and  fall  into  his  old  ways,  do  you  think  that  he 
could  quote  the  substituted  chastisement  as  a  ground 
of  peace  ?  It  is  not  in  natural  law  that  he  could,  and 
it  is  not  in  Christianity  that  he  could.  It  is  not  taught 
anywhere  in  the  Bible  that  he  could.  It  is  taught  no- 
where in  Scripture  that  men  can  be  saved  without 
loyalty  to  God  as  our  Lord  as  well  as  our  Saviour. 

You  say  that  the  Bible  says,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  be  saved."     But  to  believe  and  be- 
lieve in  or  OTi  are  two  very  different  things.     Many  a 
statement  of  a  bad  man  I  can  believe,  but  there  is  no.,- 
bad  man  that  I  can  believe  in.     There  is  a  great  dif- 


< 


222  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

ference  between  believing  and  believing  in.  I  believe 
Congress  when  it  makes  a  public  statement ;  but  I  do 
not  believe  in  all  the  acts  of  Congress — nor  in  all  its 
members !  I  believe  Benedict  Arnold  when  he  writes 
an  autobiographical  sketch ;  but  I  do  not  believe  in 
Benedict  Arnold.  I  believe  Washington  and  Lincoln 
when  they  write  letters,  and  I  also  believe  in  Washing- 
ton and  Lincoln.  On  the  one  hand  we  have  believing, 
and  on  the  other  believing  in  or  on,  and  the  Greek 
tongue  makes  even  a  clearer  distinction  between  the 
two  than  the  English.  But  when  the  great  words  are 
cited,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  how  often, 
although  this  language  is  Biblical,  does  it  fail  to  convey 
the  meaning  it  always  contains,  of  the  necessity  of 
affectionate  self-commitment  of  the  soul  to  God,  or  of 
rejoicing  personal  loyalty  to  him  as  both  Saviour  and 
Lord?  Coleridge  said,  "I  believe  Plato  and  Socrates; 
I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ." 

What  is  saving  faith  ?  What  is  the  difference  be- 
tween belief  and  faith  ?  I  venture  much,  but  I  shall 
be  corrected  swiftly  here  if  I  am  wrong.  Saving 
faith,  rightly  defined,  is — 

1.  A  conviction  of  the  intellect  that  God,  or  God  in 
Christ,  is,  and 

2.  An  affectionate  choice  of  the  heart  that  God,  or  God 
in  Christ,  should  be  both  our  Saviour  and  our  Lord. 

The  first  half  of  this  definition  is  belief ;  the  whole 
is  faith.  All  of  it  without  the  last  two  words  would 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  223 

be  merely  religiosity  and  not  religion.  There  is  in  that 
definition  nothing  which  teaches  that  a  man  is  saved 
by  opinion  irrespective  of  character.  Belief  is  assent, 
faith  is  consent  to  God  as  both  Saviour  and  Lord. 

On  April  19,  1775,  a  rider  on  a  horse  flecked  with 
blood  and  foam,  brought  to  the  city  of  Worcester  the 
news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  in  which  Theodore 
Parker's  grandfather  captured  the  first  British  gun. 
The  horse  fell  dead  on  the  main  street  of  the  city ; 
and,  on  another  steed,  the  rider  passed  westward  with 
his  news.  Some  of  those  who  heard  the  intelligence 
were  loyal  and  some  were  disloyal.  They  all  heard 
that  there  had  been  a  victory  of  the  American  troops 
over  the  British,  and  they  all  believed  the  report. 
Now,  was  there  any  political  virtue  £>r  vice  in  the 
belief  by  the  tory  in  Worcester  that  there  had  been 
a  victory  over  the  British  ?  Was  there  any  .political 
virtue  or  vice  in  the  belief  by  the  patriot  yonder  that 
there  had  been  a  victory  over  the  enemy  ?  Neither 
the  one  nor  the  other.  Where,  then,  did  the  political 
virtue  or  vice  come  in  ?  Why,  when  your  tory  at 
Worcester  heard  of  the  victory  he  believed  the  report, 
and  was  sorry,  and  was  so  sorry  that  he  took  up  arms 
against  his  own  people.  When  the  patriot  heard  the 
report,  he  believed  it,  and  was  glad,  and  was  so  glad 
that  he  took  up  arms  and  put  himself  side  by  side 
with  the  stalwart  shoulders  of  Parker's  grandfather. 
In  that  attitude  of  the  heart  lay  the  political  virtue  or 


224  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

political  vice.  Just  so  in  the  government  of  the  uni- 
verse, we  all  hear  that  God  is  our  Saviour  and  Lord, 
and  we  all  believe  this,  and  so  do  all  the  devils,  and 
tremble.  Is  there  any  virtue  or  vice  in  that  belief, 
taken  alone  ?  None  whatever.  But  some  of  us  be- 
lieve this,  and  are  sorry.  We  turn  aside;  and,  al- 
though we  have  assent,  we  have  no  consent  to  God, 
and  we  take  up  arms  against  the  fact  that  he  is  our 
Saviour  and  Lord.  Others  of  us  believe  this,  and, 
by  divine  grace,  are  glad ;  we  have  assent  and  con- 
sent both ;  we  come  into  the  mood  of  total,  affection- 
ate, irreversible  self-surrender  to  God,  not  merely  as  a 
Saviour,  but  also  as  Lord.  When  we  are  in  that  mood 
of  rejoicing  loyalty  to  God,  we  have  saving  faith,  and 
never  till  then..  How  can  salvation  be  obtained  by 
assent  alone,  that  is,  by  opinion  merely  ?  What  is 
salvation  ?  It  is  permanent  deliverance  from  both  the 
love  of  sin  and  the  guilt  of  sin.  Accepting  God  gladly 
as  Saviour  we  are  delivered  from  the  guilt  of  sin, 
and  accepting  him  gladly  as  Lord  we  are  delivered 
from  the  love  of  sin.  Only  when  we  accept  God  as 
both  Saviour  and  Lord  are  we  loyal ;  only  when  we 
are  affectionately  glad  to  take  him  as  both  are  we  or 
can  we  be  at  peace.  When  we  believe  the  news  that 
he  is  Saviour  and  Lord  and  are  glad,  and  so  glad  as 
to  face  the  foe,  we  are  in  safety. 

In  the  case  of  that  scholar  in  Bronson  Alcott's  school, 
guilt  meant  two  things :  first,  his  own  personal  blame- 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  225 

worthiness ;  second,  his  obligation  to  do  something  to 
pay  the  debt  owed  to  the  school.  Now,  guilt  in  the 
first  sense  never  is  removed.*  It  is  not  the  doctrine 
of  the  Atonement  that  personal  demerit  is  taken  off  a 
man  by  saving  faith.  It  was  always  true  of  that  scholar 
that  he  violated  the  law.  His  personal  demerit  had  not 
been  transferred  to  Bronson  Alcott  at  all.  The  record 
of  rebellion  is  always  behind  that  boy.  Only  his  ob- 
ligation to  pay  the  debt  due  to  the  school  has  been  re- 
moved. That  latter  sense  of  guilt  is  the  meaning  of 
the  word  when  we  say  the  Atonement  removes  man's 
guilt.  It  is  scientifically  certain  that  Bronson  Alcott 
had  power  to  pay  the  debt  which  that  boy  owed,  and 
that  he  paid  it  by  substituting  his  own  chastisement 
for  that  boy's  punishment.  That  is  a  straightforward, 
plain  case,  and  you  can  teach  any  honest  man  to  see 
that  distinction.  Hereafter,  when  skepticism,  with  its 
long-eared  hallelujahs,  comes  to  you  and  says  that  the 
Atonement  is  a  doctrine  outgrown  by  all  clear  thought, 
because  it  teaches  that  an  innocent  being  was  pun- 
ished, and  that  personal  demerit  was  transferred  from 
one  individual  to  another,  and  that,  therefore,  ad- 
vanced thought  must  abandon  the  central  idea  of 
Christian  culture  as  plainly  barbaric,  the  result  of 
some  Platonic  interfusion  of  thought  in  the  early  cen- 
turies, or  some  heathenish  inheritance  from  Judaism 
— in  short,  that  this  scheme  is  self-contradictory  or  at 

*  Hodge's  Theology,  passim. 


226  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

war  with  axiomatic  truth,  please  ask  that  singer  of 
empty  anthems  to  be  clear  himself ;  to  state  what  he 
would  say  in  a  human  case  such  as  I  have  supposed ; 
and  then  whether  he  dare  affirm,  in  the  name  of  the 
unity  of  law  which  he  proclaims  as  the  first  truth  of 
science,  that,  if  there  has  been  any  such  Atonement 
made  in  the  universe,  it  is  not  what  we  infinitely  need. 
My  friends,  exact  and  cool  science  knows  with  pre- 
cision that  we  want  just  this  more  than  unspeakably, 
if  anything  like  this  has  been  done  for  us.  We  want 
it,  first,  to  pay  our  debt  to  the  school  of  the  universe, 
and,  next,  to  give  us  immeasurable  motives  to  loyalty. 
There  is  surely  nothing  that  really  changes  the  heart 
so  quickly  as  a  sight  of  this  substitution  of  chastise- 
ment for  punishment,  whether  it  be  in  the  human  case 
of  a  school,  or  in  the  revealed  case  of  the  school  of  the 
universe.  1/ft  this  feeling  of  the  poor  boy  into  all 
the  dignity  it  naturally  assumes  when  you  take  it  as  a 
type  of  the  moral  law,  a  unit  throughout  the  universe. 
Lift  that  law  until  the  arc  we  can  measure  has  become 
the  segment  of  a  circle  large  enough  to  reach  from 
here  to  the  galaxies,  and  then  let  all  the  constellations 
shine  on  the  circle  as  you  carry  its  line  far  past  the 
spot  over  which  Bootes  is  driving  his  hunting  dogs  in 
their  leash  of  sidereal  fire ;  carry  on  that  arc  until 
stars  fade  out,  and  galaxies,  and  all  the  infinities  and 
eternities  of  time  past  and  time  to  come  are  embraced 
within  it,  and  then  what  have  you  ?  One  little  point 


Faith  the  Source  of  Faithfulness.  227 

of  light — the  whole  of  it  is  no  more — to  hold  up  be- 
fore the  noon  of  God's  chastisement  substituted  for 
man's  punishment. 

You  wish  to  be  born  anew?  Look  on  the  Cross! 
You  wish  to  take  God  gladly  as  your  Lord  ?  took  on 
him  as  your  Saviour.  You  wish  to  drop  all  the  heart- 
burdens  of  slavishness  and  you  desire  to  come  into  the 
obedience  of  delight?  Look  on  the  Cross !  You  want 
glad  allegiance  to  God  as  King  ?  Look  on  the  Cross ! 
There  is  nothing  that  frees  us  from  the  love  of  sin 
like  looking  on  him  who  has  delivered  us  from  the 
guilt  of  it. 

Speaking  philosophically,  addressing  you  in  the 
mood  of  cool  precision,  I  affirm  that,  if  the  great 
things  man  wants  are  riddance  from  the  love  of  sin 
and  deliverance  from  the  guilt  of  it,  we  can  obtain  the 
first  best  and  the  latter  only  by  looking  on  the  Cross. 
Those  old  words  have  unfathomable  depth;  and  he 
who  is  to  be  born  anew  must  sit  beside  that  pupil  in 
Bronson  Alcott's  school,  must  imagine  the  benches  to 
be  the  galaxies,  and  his  human  companions  the  angels 
and  archangels  who  bow  down  on  the  golden  floor, 
and  on  the  shore  of  the  sea  of  glass,  and  in  presence 
of  the  Great  White  Throne,  and  cry  out :  "  Holy, 
Holy,  Holy  Lord  God  Almighty,  thou  art  worthy,  for 
thou  didst  so  love  the  world  that  thou  gavest  thine 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 


228  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

On  a  summer  evening,  it  has  often  been  to  me,  on 
both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  a  solemn  joy  to  lie  down 
alone  at  a  grove's  edge  by  the  side  of  the  ocean  and 
look  into  the  infinite  azure  until  the  stars  appear.  In 
the  rustle  of  the  grove,  one  may  hear  thus  all  the  for- 
ests of  all  the  zones  of  the  thrifty,  jubilant,  wheeling 
world ;  the  soul  may  touch  all  shores  with  the  howl- 
ing, salt,  uneasy  sea.  As  the  stars  come  out,  I  love 
to  lift  above  my  thoughts  Kichter's  apologue,  which 
represents  an  angel  as  once  catching  a  man  up  into 
the  infinite  of  space  and  moving  with  him  from  galaxy 
to  galaxy,  until  the  human  heart  fainted,  and  called 
out:  "End  is  there  none  of  the  universe  of  God?" 
and  the  constellations  answered :  "  End  is  there  none 
that  ever  yet  we  heard  of."  Again  the  angel  flew  on 
with  the  man  past  immeasurable  architraves  and  im- 
mensity after  immensity,  sown  with  rushing  worlds, 
and  the  human  heart  fainted  again  and  cried  out: 
"End  is  there  none  of  the  universe  of  God?"  and  the 
angel  answered :  "  End  is  there  none  of  the  universe 
of  God:  lo!  also,  there  is  no  beginning."  But  if, 
while  I,  thus  entranced,  look  into  the  sky,  you  bring 
above  my  gaze  the  page  of  the  Gospel  recording  the 
fact  of  the  Atonement,  all  other  revelations  of  the 
divine  glory  appear  in  contrast  but  chaff  and  dust. 


OUR  TWO  HAEVESTS. 


BY  BUFITS  ELLIS,  D.D. 


Be  not  deceived;  God  is  not  mocked:  for  whatsoever  a  man  soweth 
that  shall  he  also  reap.  For  he  that  soweth  to  his  flesh  shall  of  the 
flesh  reap  corruption ;  but  he  that  soweth  to  the  Spirit  shall  of  the  Spirit 
reap  life  everlasting.  —  Gal.  vi.  7,  8. 


THE  subject  of  my  sermon  is  Our  Two  Harvests. 

I.  Let  me  say,  first,  that  I  am  concerned  about  them 
because  they  are  ours.    It  is  true  that  a  portion  of  the 
fruit  of  our  life,  good  and  bad,  is  not  from  our  own 
sowing ;  but  it  is  not  true  that  we  can  ever  look  upon 
the  ripening  harvest  of  our  days  as  one  might  look 
upon  another  man's  husbandry,  rejoicing  or  mourning, 
but  with  no  sense  of  having  had  anything  to  do  with 
it.     We  have  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  it,  and  the 
more  we  feel  our  responsibility  the  better  it  will  be 
for  us. 

II.  And  let  me  say  again  that  these  harvests  of  our 
life  have  that  grave  importance  and  kind  of  finality 
which  belong  to  other  harvests.     That  by  which  we 

229 


230  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

live  is  at  stake.  There  may  be,  there  are,  thank  God, 
merciful  provisions  against  failure,  as  when  of  old 
there  was  corn  in  Egypt;  but  a  famine,  whether  of 
truth  or  of  bread,  is  none  the  less  a  terrible  reality, 
and  though  a  starving  or  even  a  dead  soul  may  be 
recovered,  it  is  none  the  less  a  fearful  thing  to  come 
into  any  such  straits  and  to  find  ourselves,  as  so  many 
do  as  the  year  of  our  life  closes,  in  the  midst  of  a  bad 
harvest. 

So  much  because  so  many  say  that  we  are  what  God 
makes  us,  or  what  our  fathers  make  us,  or  what  our 
circumstances  make  us,  and  not  what  we  make  our- 
selves. So  much  because  there  are  so  many  who,  be- 
lieving in  a  good-natured  God,  a  God  who  forgives, 
but  not  in  a  God  who  is  just,  in  their  uninstructed 
reliance  upon  infinite  love,  fail  to  see  that  the  laws  by 
which  souls  live  and  die  are  even  more  tragic  in  their 
working  than  what  we  call  the  laws  of  matter,  and 
that  God  is  not  mocked.  The  Two  Harvests  are  ours. 

III.  Paul  gives  to  one  of  them  a  very  evil-sounding 
name.  He  calls  it  a  harvest  of  corruption,  a  harvest 
of  death,  and  it  comes,  he  says,  from  sowing  to  the 
flesh.  It  is  what  they  get  out  of  life  and  all  they  get 
out  of  it,  who  provide  for  the  lower  part  of  our  nature 
to  the  neglect  of  the  higher  part.  I  say  to  the  neglect 
of  the  higher  part,  because  in  its  place  the  lower  as 
well  as  the  higher  has  its  divine  rights.  And  I  include 


Our  Two  Harvests.  231 

in  the  lower  part  of  our  nature  the  intellect  and  the 
imagination  as  well  as  the  senses ;  I  take  in  all  that 
Paul  means  when  in  another  place  he  writes  of  "  the 
natural  man."  Very  often  the  sowing  to  the  flesh  is  a 
very  literal  sowing,  and  the  harvest  is  very  literally  a 
harvest  of  corruption ;  there  are  those  who  are  alive 
only  to  the  senses,  and  their  reward  is  a  body  no  longer 
capable  of  enjoyment,  for  enjoyment  long  since  ended 
in  satiety  and  it  may  be  agony.  You  see  the  man's 
wages  in  the  dull  eye,  in  the  sodden  face,  in  the  palsied 
limbs.  It  is  only  the  foul  sepulchre  of  a  man,  how- 
ever whitened  and  garnished ;  only  a  brute,  we  should 
say,  if  that  were  not  a  libel  upon  poor  dumb  creatures. 
Alas  !  upon  how  many  human  faces  you  see  the  mark 
of  the  beast,  and  we  can  only  say  to  ourselves :  How 
ever  can  this  corruptible  put  on  incorruption,  and  this 
mortal  be  clothed  with  immortality,  and  this  death  be 
swallowed  up  in  victory  ? 

But  the  words  of  the  Apostle  need  not  receive  so 
literal  an  application.  We  may  understand  by  cor- 
ruption, characters  and  conditions  which  are  without 
abiding  worth  and  beauty ;  perishing,  dissolving,  van- 
ishing, as  things  having  no  root,  and  yielding  not  the 
faintest  suggestion  of  immortality  or  even  of  continu- 
ance. Paul  calls  this  harvest  corruption  because  it  is 
so  corruptible,  because  it  is  a  fading  pageant,  a  vain 
show,  a  dream  when  one  awaketh.  It  is  the  outcome 
of  life,  and  more  and  more,  as  time  goes  on,  it  is 


232  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

found  to  be  this,  not  merely  when  a  man  sinks  into 
low  and  debasing  indulgences,  but  when  his  life  cen- 
tres upon  himself  and  aims  at  nothing  high  and  uni- 
versal ;  when  he  keeps  his  eye,  as  the  phrase  is,  fixed 
upon  the  main  chance,  and  will  run  no  risk  of  destroy- 
ing himself  by  being  righteous  overmuch,  proposing 
to  cultivate  his  own  intellect,  to  build  up  his  own  for- 
tune, to  advance  his  own  household,  nay,  to  save  his 
own  precious  soul,  come  what  may  of  other  souls. 
How  to  get  on  in  the  world  and  get  the  most  wages 
for  the  least  work,  and  carry  our  wares  to  the  best 
market,  to  sell  when  what  one  has  to  sell  is  the  dearest, 
and  to  buy  when  what  one  has  to  buy  is  the  cheapest, 
to  say  what  men  love  to  hear,  to  seek  one's  own  in 
studies  and  amusements,  —  are  aims  which  are  com- 
patible with  the  utmost  delicacy  and  tenderness.  The 
mind  may  even  be  great  in  a  certain  sense,  and  yet  as 
low-toned  and  selfish  as  that  which  is  sunk  in  coarse 
and  gross  indulgences.  The  only  difference  is  that 
sometimes  our  sins  go  before  us  to  judgment,  and 
sometimes  they  follow  after.  We  must  not  be  misled 
by  this  word  "corruption"  into  picturing  only  what  is 
animal  and  sensual.  The  profligacies  of  the  prodigal 
were  only  the  accidents  of  the  condition.  It  was  his 
sin,  and  the  cause  of  all  other  sins,  that  he  must  have 
his  portion  and  do  his  own  pleasure.  With  more  pru- 
dence and  a  different  temperament,  and  in  other  cir- 
cumstances, he  might  have  been  reputably  and  not 


Our  Two  Harvests.  233 

disreputably  self-indulgent,  as  signally  successful,  as 
man  too  often  counts  success,  as  he  was  in  all  eyes  a 
wretched  failure.  There  are  many  whose  reward  for 
painstaking,  decent,  useful  lives  in  exacting  and 
responsible  occupations  includes  nothing  abiding,  and 
with  the  advance  of  years,  as  the  Bible  says,  "  their 
very  thoughts  perish,"  and  the  world  which  seemed 
so  real  to  them,  even  the  only  reality,  begins  to  look 
unsubstantial,  and  into  the  future  there  is  no  clear 
outlook.  Theirs  was  the  larger  share  in  the  scramble 
for  wealth  or  place  ;  but  where  what  we  want  is  qual- 
ity, not  quantity,  the  smaller  share  would  have  been 
no  more  disappointing  than  the  larger ;  and  if  it  be 
only  a  feast  of  shells  or  husks,  a  little  heap  will  be 
even  less  burdensome  than  a  large  one.  Much  labori- 
ous husbandry  is  rewarded  with  no  imperishable  fruit, 
because  the  sower  sows  only  for  earth  and  time,  and 
poorly  even  so.  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  they  have 
their  reward;"  but  is  it  rewarding?  One  said  of  cer- 
tain persons  who  had  not  been  successful  as  success  is 
commonly  understood,  "  They  have  not  had  a  good 
time."  Would  they  have  had  any  better  time  if  they 
had  succeeded  ? 

IV.  But  God  has  provided  better  things  for  us  if  we 
will  have  them.  There  is  another  harvest,  fruit  every 
month,  from  the  Tree  of  Life,  whose  leaves  never 
wither.  It  is  theirs  who  sow  unto  the  spirit,  whose 


234  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

purpose  and  plan  are  from  within  and  from  above ; 
who  are  born  of  the  Spirit,  and  are  alive  with  a  diviner 
life;  to  whom  God  and  Christ  are  real,  and  whatso- 
ever things  are  pure  and  honorable  and  lovely  and 
helpful  to  man  are  objects  to  be  eagerly  desired  and 
laboriously  sought  after.  This  harvest  of  Everlast- 
ing Life  includes  all  that  man  needs  on  earth,  all  that 
makes  up  success,  all  that  distinguishes  a  true  civili- 
zation from  the  miserable  estate  of  the  savage,  all 
honorably  earned  wealth,  culture,  science,  art,  house- 
hold refinement,  all  that  men  laboriously  seek  for 
themselves,  for  their  children,  and  for  their  world; 
but  these  needful  things  are  all  lifted  into  light  and 
made  living  and  abiding,  earthly  and  heavenly  treas- 
ures at  once ;  not  that  wealth  which  some  coveting 
have  strayed  away  from  the  faith  and  have  pierced 
themselves  through  with  many  pangs.'  And  in  our 
training  we  ought  to  provide  before  all  else  for  that 
which  is  so  continually  put  after  all  else.  It  is  as 
indispensable  for  a  man  to  be  twice  born  as  to  be  once 
born ;  and  if  he  cannot  be  twice  born,  he  had  better 
not  be  born  at  all;  indispensable  to  come  into  the 
light  and  life  of  heaven,  as  well  as  into  the  light  and 
life  of  earth.  We  are  not  men  as  God  means  us  to  be 
until  we  are  born  of  the  Spirit  into  a  childhood,  at 
least,  of  faith  and  hope  and  charity ;  not,  surely,  not, 
in  Christian  homes,  through  some  spasm  of  amazement 
and  terror,  but  as  the  sweet  Dayspring  dawns  upon 


Our  Two  Harvests.  235 

night  and  darkness,  and  spreads  itself  over  an  awaken- 
ing world,  and  man  goes  forth  to  his  labors  and  enjoy- 
ments. Our  religious  fathers  were  not  one  jot  too 
earnest  in  their  desire  and  purpose  to  waken  up  in  the 
soul  of  youth,  first  of  all,  the  everlasting  life  of  love, 
that  so  the  better  nature,  having  obtained  help  from 
God  from  the  start,  might  have  some  fair  chance  in 
the  struggle  of  our  life,  and  our  whole  condition  be 
advanced  and  redeemed.  If  only  we  had  something 
which  might  take  the  place,  in  our  week-day  schools, 
of  their  grand  but  now  obsolete  catechism :  if  only  a 
small  portion  of  the  pains  expended  upon  the  under- 
standing might  be  given  to  wake  up  and  invigorate 
the  spiritual  and  moral  nature :  if  only  religion  could 
be  taught  like  the  languages  and  the  mathematics  : 
and  whilst  our  children  are  learning  so  many  tongues 
they  might  be  guided  to  speak  the  truth  in  one.  But 
only  they  who  believe  can  waken  and  nourish  belief 
and  lift  the  hearts  of  the  young  into  aspirations  and 
unselfish  loves  and  true  ambition,  and  mostly  it  is 
done  by  example.  We  want  evangelists  whose  chief 
aim  it  shall  be  so  to  lift  young  and  old  into  the  Di- 
vine Life,  that  they  shall  be  ashamed  and  afraid  to 
live  another  day,  here  or  anywhere  else,  any  life 
which  is  not  pure  and  helpful  and  inspired,  proposing 
generous  aims,  and  fed  by  great  expectations. 


236  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

V.  Now,  to  live  such  a  life  we  must  be  alive  betimes, 
not  chiefly  to  the  enjoyments  of  sense,  the  accumula- 
tion of  riches,  the  achievement  of  earthly  greatness, 
the  success  which  begins  and  ends  in  time  and  seems 
to  be  fitly  rounded  by  the  sleep  of  death ;  we  must  be 
alive  in  the  Bible  sense,  living  towards  all  that  is  high- 
est and  best,  alive  at  the  very  centre  and  core  of  our 
being  with  the  life  which  is  of  God. 

When  we  see  a  fresh  and  growing  body,  a  strong 
and  expanding  mind,  enterprise,  energy,  hope,  courage 
in  all  worldly  matters,  and  yet  no  signs  of  any  moral 
or  religious  fervors,  or  of  any  desire  or  purpose  to  live 
above  the  levels  of  an  ordinary  worldliness,  we  can 
only  say  that  the  spirit  is  not  yet  born,  and  that  in  the 
noblest  sense  of  the  word  the  youth,  the  maiden,  is 
not  yet  living.  What  is  called  the  second  death,  the 
deep  sleep  which  evil-doing  pours  upon  the  spirit,  is 
seldom  experienced  by  one  who  has  ever  been  well 
alive,  and  most  happily,  for  of  all  religious  enterprises 
theirs  is  the  most  arduous  who  would  call  back  from 
their  graves  those  who  have  passed  from  spiritual  life 
to  spiritual  death.  It  is  only  to  repent,  you  say ;  ah ! 
but  that  is  just  the  most  difficult  thing  in  this  world. 
"Can  the  Ethiopian  change  his  skin?"  It  is  a  far 
easier  task  to  second  the  divine  pleading  with  the 
hearts  of  the  young,  to  entreat  them  by  all  heavenly 
motives,  by  all  high  and  pure  examples,  and  chiefly 
by  his  living  and  dying  and  rising  who  is  at  once  our 


Our  Two  Harvests.  237 

brother  and  our  Lord,  to  heed  that  voice  which,  at 
least  as  a  whisper,  we  have  all  heard,  and  which  be- 
seeches us  before  all  else  to  follow  God  in  the  way  of 
duty  and  of  love.  Speak  to  that  young  man,  to  that 
young  woman;  say  what  is  so  true,  —  for  who  does 
not  count  his  own  life  to  be  more  a  failure  than  a  suc- 
cess?—  that  you  would  give  all  you  have  of  fortune, 
or  position,  or  name,  or  fame,  to  stand  as  they  stand 
to-day  in  the  beginning  of  their  years  at  the  threshold 
of  life,  with  its  days,  few  or  many,  all  before  them, 
and  with  the  sense  which  you  have  now  of  the  work 
which  may  be  done,  the  joy  which  may  be  tasted,  and 
the  faith  by  which  we  may  be  fed  in  this  time  of  our 
mortal  life.  Tell  them  of  the  Two  Harvests,  of  the 
Harvest  of  Death  and  of  the  Harvest  of  Life ;  that 
they  are  the  sowers  and  that  they  must  be  the  reapers. 
Tell  them  of  the  God  who  will  not  be  mocked,  and  of 
the  God  who  is  always  faithful,  and  it  may  be  the 
Spirit's  occasion  to  enlarge  and  uplift  and  fill  their 
hearts,  and  they  shall  sow  unto  the  Spirit,  and  whatso- 
ever they  do  shall  prosper,  and  grace  shall  ripen  into 
glory,  and,  being  faithful  unto  death,  they  shall  receive 
a  crown  of  life. 


THE  GOSPEL  INVITATION. 


BY  W.   F.   WAEBEN,  D.D. 


The  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say,  Come.  —  Eev.  xxii.  17. 

THIS  little  word,  Come,  is  the  keynote  of  the  Bible, 
the  call  and  catchword  of  all  dispensations.  Ever 
since  man  fell  away  from  God,  God  has  been  calling 
him  back.  Five  and  twenty  centuries  ago  it  was  by 
the  lips  of  the  venerable  Isaiah.  The  then  loud 
accents  have  grown  soft  and  faint  in  the  distance, 
but  they  are  still  distinct  and  musical :  "  Ho,  every 
one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye,  .  .  .  come,  .  .  .  yea, 
come."  Eighteen  centuries  ago,  it  was  by  the  lips 
of  his  Son:  "Ho,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy- 
laden,  come."  Here  in  our  text,  the  last  living  apos- 
tle, closing  the  last  book  of  Divine  Revelation,  pro- 
jects the  same  word  forward  into  the  coming  ages, 
as  the  one  thing  never  to  be  forgotten :  "  Come,  and 
let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come,  and  whosoever  will, 
let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely."  That  sweet 
voice  of  invitation  is  ringing  on  and  on  to-day.  We 

238 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  239 

all  hear  it.  The  Spirit  is  saying,  Come.  The  Bride, 
which  is  the  Church,  is  saying,  Come.  Every  one 
that  heareth — to  purpose — becomes  transformed  into 
a  new  herald  and  cries,  Come.  The  athirst  do  come, 
and  thus  this  glorious  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  is  get- 
ting preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  to  all 
nations. 

Beloved,  I  stand  here  simply  to  vocalize  once  again 
this  gracious  call  of  the  Spirit  and  Bride.  Not  to 
speculate,  not  to  argue,  not  to  rhapsodize,  —  simply  to 
say  out  loud  what  God  so  often  whispers  in  your 
hearts,  to  add  the  cords  of  a  man  to  the  drawings  of 
the  Father.  I  view  myself  simply  as  one  more  of  the 
servants  sent  out  by  the  Master  of  the  Feast,  to  cry  in 
the  highways  and  hedges,  "All  things  are  ready. 
Come ! " 

And  first  of  all,  I  fain  would  catch  the  ear  of  any  in 
my  audience  who  may  be  very  far  from  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  who  in  heeding  the  call  will  have  far  to 
come.  And  who  is  farthest  from  the  kingdom  ?  Our 
thoughts  are  apt  to  turn  to  the  thief,  the  drunkard, 
the  harlot,  to  descend  to  those  dens  of  crime  and 
infamy  which  have  been  fitly  termed  the  breathing- 
holes  of  perdition.  But  are  these  people,  after  all, 
the  most  hopeless  subjects  for  God's  invitation?  Has 
not  Christ  rebuked  such  judgments  in  those  scathing 
words  which  he  addressed  to  the  moral  and  highly 
respectable  Pharisees  of  his  time :  "  Behold,  the  publi- 


240  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

cans  and  harlots  enter  into  the  kingdom  before  you." 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  in  our  land  and  time  no 
class  of  men  are  farther  from  the  kingdom  than  that 
small,  intelligent,  moral,  and  highly  respected  class  of 
persons  who  aspire  to  be  religious  connoisseurs.  They 
manifest  not  the  least  shyness  in  speaking  of  religious 
subjects,  only  this  is  noticeable,  they  are  more  apt  to 
speak  of  religions  than  of  religion.  You,  friend,  yon- 
der, are  one  of  them.  You  think  the  religions  are  a 
most  interesting  study.  You  love  to  read  what  phi- 
lologists and  philanthropists  have  written  about  their 
origin,  their  laws  of  development,  their  comparative 
merits.  You  are  fond  of  philosophizing  yourself  in  a 
modest  way  on  these  lofty  subjects.  Christianity,  you 
deign  to  say,  is  a  very  good  religion,  but  your  trouble 
is  that  it  is  only  one  of  many  systems,  any  one  of 
which  is  about  as  good  as  another,  and  no  two  of 
which  can  possibly  be  true. 

Very  good.  Let  me  ask  you  a  question  in  this  in- 
teresting field  of  research.  Have  you,  in  all  your 
studies,  ever  found  any  other  religion  than  the  Chris- 
tian which  says,  Come  ? 

Allah  does  not  say,  "  Come ; "  Allah  says,  rather, 
"  Go,  do  this,  do  that,  abstain  from  this,  abstain  from 
that."  Allah  is  a  repellant  sovereign,  a  domineering 
autocrat ;  not  a  Father,  bowing  the  heavens  and  beck- 
oning his  children  to  come  to  him. 

Then  there  is  Buddha.    Buddha  never  says, "  Come." 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  241 

Buddha  never  says  anything.  According  to  his  owr 
followers  he  is  dead ;  worse  than  that,  the  flame  of  his 
being  has  been  "blown  out;"  Nirvana  swallowed  him 
up  more  than  two  thousand  •  years  ago.  Out  of  that 
abyss  of  non-being  no  word  of  invitation  can  ever 
come.  Even  if  there  could,  its  "  come  "  would  only 
signify  annihilation. 

Here  are  the  pantheistic  religions.  How  is  it  here  ? 
Pantheism  is  even  muter  than  Buddhism.  Buddha  did 
have  a  voice  the  fourscore  years  he  lived,  and  did  say 
to  men,  Come,  but  the  pantheist's  god  never  had  either 
voice  or  consciousness.  He  is  an  eternal  deaf-mute, 
hopelessly  such ;  no  deaf  and  dumb  asylum  in  the  world 
would  attempt  his  cure.  The  pantheistic  god  is  the 
sum  total  of  being,  and  sum  totals  are  not  given  to 
speech.  When  pantheism  gets  a  god  who  is  alive  and 
can  speak,  we  shall  be  glad  to  hear  what  he  has  to 
say;  that  moment,  however,  it  will  cease  to  be  pan- 
theism. 

There  was  classic  heathenism.  Did  Jupiter  ever  say 
to  men,  Come  ?  Did  he  ever  plead  with  them  to  lay 
off  the  earthly  and  put  on  the  heavenly?  Did  he 
yearn  to  lift  them  into  fellowship  with  himself,  to 
make  them  sharers  of  his  divine  nature,  co-occupants 
of  the  heavenly  Olympus  ?  You  know  he  never  did. 
You  know  he  never  sought  to  draw  humanity  to  his 
bosom  and  bless  it.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  from  the 
beginning  the  sworn  foe  of  humanity.  He  was  jealous 


242        «  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

of  human  happiness,  and  grudged  men  the  simplest 
blessings.  Take  their  own  story  of  him.  Our  infant 
race  was  shivering  in  the  frigid  earth,  perishing. 
Prometheus  in  pity  brought  us  fire.  Did  Jupiter  send 
him?  Did  he  thank  him?  No.  You  know  what 
he  did.  He  seized  our  generous  benefactor,  bound 
him  with  massy  chains  to  a  desolate  cliff,  blasted  him 
with  thunderbolts,  and  stationed  an  immortal  vulture 
to  prey  unscared  forever  and  ever  upon  his  wasteless 
vitals.  That  was  a  fair  exponent  of  Jupiter's  love  for 
men. 

Take  modern  heathenism.  Its  gods  are  numbered 
by  the  million,  but  none  of  them  ever  ask  men  to 
come  and  share  their  higher  state.  They  don't  want 
men  in  their  abodes.  Even  if  they  did,  who  would 
wish  to  enter?  Who  could  dwell  with  such  horrid 
monstrosities  as  crowd  the  pantheons  of  India,  Africa 
and  the  Feejee  isles  ?  The  bare  sight  of  their  dead 
images,  dragon-mouthed,  serpent-girdled,  gore-bespat- 
tered, haunts  one  for  months  with  visions  of  horror. 
Their  worshipers  only  fear  them.  They  want  no  invi- 
tation to  go  to  them,  they  only  wish  deliverance  from 
their  fiendish  plagues. 

And  so  you  may  go  through  the  catalogue  of  all  re- 
ligions that  now  are  or  ever  have  been,  and  only  in 
Christianity  will  you  find  a  God  who  wants  to  draw 
men  to  himself,  to  bless  them,  to  make  them  share  his 
own  eternal  felicity.  Now.  is  there  not  something 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  243 

very  singular  about  this?  Does  it  not  show  that  in 
one  thing,  at  least,  and  a  most  important  thing,  too, 
Christianity  differs  from  all  other  religions  ?  Does  it 
not  show  that  its  God  is  infinitely  above  all  other  gods  ? 
that  he  alone  is  love  —  alone  God  ? 

But,  my  friend,  there  is  another  thing  I  want  you  to 
note.  Singular  as  is  this  peculiarity  of  Christianity, 
there  is  another  yet  more  singular.  Did  you  ever 
notice  that  while  the  gospel  sets  before  us  a  higher 
and  more  blessed  heaven  than  any  other  religion,  its 
hell  is  also  deeper  and  darker  than  any  other  ?  That, 
my  friend,  is  the  wonderful  thing.  Not  so  much 
that  Christianity  says,  "  God  is  love,"  though  com- 
pared with  other  religions  this  would  be  much ;  it  is 
rather  that  right  over  against  this  declaration  it 
affirms,  "Our  God  is  a  consuming  fire."  "What  does 
that  mean  ? 

Think  of  it  a  moment.  Did  Zeus  ever  send  men 
messengers  to  warn  them  of  the  judgments  which 
would  overtake  them  if  they  persisted  in  their  sins  ? 
Did  any  heathen  divinity  ever  do  it  ?  Where  is  the 
instance  ?  Not  one  of  them  ever  loved  men  enough 
to  warn  them  of  the  fruits  of  sin.  On  the  contrary, 
many  of  them  are  represented  by  their  worshipers  as 
seducing  men  into  crime  that  they  might  have  a  pre- 
text for  tormenting  them.  How  different  the  attitude 
of  our  God,  standing  with  hands  outstretched  to  even 
the  most  rebellious  of  the  race,  and  crying,  as  only 


244  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

infinite  tenderness  can  cry,  "Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  for 
why  will  ye  die  ?  " 

Look  at  the  hells  of  your  other  religions.  Panthe- 
ism has  neither  hell  nor  heaven.  Denying  personal 
immortality  it  necessarily  denies  both.  Brahminism 
and  Buddhism  have  no  other  hell  than  transmigration, 
and  in  that  we  are  already.  The  old  Zoroastrian 
hell  was  only  a  temporary  purgatory,  issuing  in  uni- 
versal and  everlasting  blessedness.  Classic  heathen- 
ism had  a  Tartarus,  but  it  was  no  hell.  As  a  resi- 
dence it  was  far  preferable  to  some  of  the  lower  dens 
of  sin  in  this  world.  Even  the  Old  Testament  is 
almost  utterly  silent  on  this  dread  theme.  Christ  is 
the  first  to  plainly  disclose  to  the  world  the  awful 
reality.  Possibly  he  was  the  first  through  whom  God 
could  make  it  known  without  repelling  the  race  for- 
ever from  him.  In  him  love  so  offset  divine  justice 
that  men  could  look  upon  its  most  appalling  exhibi- 
tion and  adore. 

I  have  heard  of  a  strange  class  of  people  who  claim 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  father  and  founder  of  the  doc- 
trine that  there  is  no  hell.  You  may  have  met  such. 
They  are  scattered  all  through  our  Christian  New 
England.  Their  only  mistake  is  that  Jesus  Christ, 
instead  of  being  the  first  denier  of  eternal  punishment, 
was  the  first  to  teach  it.  Christ  a  denier  that  there  is 
a  hell !  Let  me  read  you  a  single  passage  from  one 
of  his  discourses,  just  one  consecutive  paragraph. 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  245 

"And  if  thy  hand  offend  thee,  cut  it  off;  it  is  better 
for  thee  to  enter  into  life  maimed,  than  having  two 
hands  to  go  into  hell,  into  the  fire  that  never  shall  be 
quenched :  where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is 
not  quenched.  And  if  thy  foot  offend  thee,  cut  it  off : 
it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  halt  into  life,  than  having 
two  feet  to  be  cast  into  hell,  into  the  fire  that  never 
shall  be  quenched :  where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and 
the  fire  is  not  quenched.  And  if  thine  eye  offend 
thee,  pluck  it  out :  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  with  one  eye,  than  having  two 
eyes  to  be  cast  into  hell  fire :  where  their  worm  dieth 
not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."* 

Does  that  sound  like  a  leaf  from  the  gospel  of  John 
Murray?  Take  another  of  his  solemn  warnings. 
"  Fear  not  them  that  kill  the  body  and  after  that  have 
no  more  that  they  can  do.  But  I  will  forewarn  you 
whom  you  shall  fear.  Fear  him  which  after  he  hath 
killed,  hath  power  to  cast  into  hell,  yea,  I  say  unto 
you,  fear  him." 

Is  this  the  first,  the  original  denier  of  an  eternal 
hell  ?  I  need  not  tell  you,  who  are  students  of  ancient 
religions,  that  these  people  who  attempt  to  father  this 
denial  upon  Christ  are  wofully  mistaken.  Instead  of 
being  the  first  repudiator  of  eternal  punishment,  he 
was  the  first  great  religious  teacher  of  the  world,  who 
ever  clearly,  unfalteringly,  and  authoritatively  taught 

*Markix.  43—48. 


246  The  Gospel  Invitation. 


it.  You  may  search  through  the  sacred  books  of 
every  nation  anterior  to  Christ,  and  I  challenge  you 
to  find  in  any  of  them  such  appalling  language  as 
that  I  have  just  read.  Christ  was  the  first  to  use  it ; 
and  to  this  day  no  religious  teacher  has  been  able  to 
state  in  stronger  terms  or  to  paint  in  darker  shades 
the  doom  of  a  lost  soul.  The  "  outer  darkness,"  the 
"weeping,"  the  "gnashing  of  teeth,"  the  "'unquench- 
able fire,"  the  "  undying  worm,"  the  "  binding,"  the 
"  torments,"  the  "  devil  and  his  angels,"  the  intermin- 
able duration,  all  these  dread  elements  and  emblems 
of  eternal  perdition  enter  into  Christ's  own  original 
picture  of  the  final  state  of  the  impenitent. 

But  I  wander.  I  was  saying  that  the  wonderful 
thing  about  Christianity  is  that  it  presents  two  such 
opposite  peculiarities.  Of  all  religions  it  alone  sets 
before  us  a  perfect  heaven  and  a  perfect  hell.  The 
mightiest  imagination  can  never  conceive  a  higher 
bliss  or  a  deeper  woe.  Its  invitations  are  the  richest, 
but  its  warnings  the  dreadest  ever  brought  home  to 
the  human  mind.  It  is  as  peculiar  in  its  awfulness  as 
in  its  winningness.  It  excels  all  other  religions  as 
much  in  the  one  direction  as  in  the  other. 

My  friend,  think  a  moment  of  this  astonishing  phe- 
nomenon. You  are  accustomed  to  philosophize  on 
these  things.  What  does  it  mean?  There  must  be 
some  reason  for  it.  Can  you  explain  it?  Perhaps 
you  would  like  to  hear  my  explanation. 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  247 

Well,  my  explanation  is  a  very  simple  one.  It  is 
that  Christianity  is  the  one  absolutely  true  religion. 
Other  religions,  containing  only  certain  fragmentary 
elements  of  truth,  are  all  included,  swallowed  up  as  it 
were,  in  the  more  comprehensive  truth  of  Christianity  ? 
They  have  the  conception  of  sin  and  of  holiness,  but 
their  conception  of  sin  can  never  go  so  deep,  their 
conception  of  holiness  can  never  rise  so  high  as  the 
Christian  conception.  Created  by  man's  weak  imagi- 
nation, their  gods  can  never  be  so  strict  as  absolute 
justice,  never  so  high  as  infinite  love.  Hence,  Chris- 
tianity at  once  underlies  and  overtops  all  other  reli- 
gions. What  a  proof  is  this  that  it  is  the  only  true 
religion ! 

Ah,  yes  !  Good  friend,  connoisseur  of  religions, 
Christianity  is  true.  In  all  its  great  foundation  doc- 
trines, you  know  it  to  be  true.  You  know,  for  instance, 
that  you  have  sinned  against  your  Maker.  You 
know  you  have  no  fellowship  with  him.  The  thought 
of  standing  before  his  judgment-seat  fills  you  with 
alarm.  There  are  times  when  in  view  of  that  great 
white  throne  you  could  wish  you  had  never  been  born. 
And  then  when  you  think  of  your  treatment  of  the 
blessed  Saviour's  invitation,  you  feel  that  God  ought 
to  withdraw  his  oft-grieved  Spirit  and  cast  you  off  for- 
ever. Oh !  the  burden  that  has  sometimes  rested 
upon  your  heart.  What  a  realization  of  guilt  and 
worthlessness !  What  self-reproach  and  condemnation ! 


248  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

What  a  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  in- 
dignation !  How  are  the  very  localities  of  some  of 
these  experiences  branded,  as  it  were,  into  your  in- 
most memory.  As  the  lightning  stroke  sometimes 
leaves  upon  the  human  body  pictures  of  adjacent  ob- 
jects, so  these  memorable  flashes  of  God's  convicting 
Spirit  have  photographed  upon  your  very  soul,  as  if 
for  eternal  preservation,  the  very  spots  where  God 
sought  you  out  only  to  be  spurned.  That  village 
chapel,  that  woody  nook,  that  midnight  chamber,  that 
lonely  field  where  God  said,  Son,  daughter,  give  me 
thine  heart,  and  you  refused, — you  never  can  forget 
them.  If  lost,  they  will  forever  silence  your  every 
murmur  against  God.  Oh,  are  not  some  of  these  con- 
victions agitating  your  heart  to-day?  Is  not  the 
Spirit  saying  with  me,  "  Come  ?  "  Oh,  heed  the  call. 
House  from  this  fatal  lethargy !  Come  to  Jesus.  By 
the  mercies  of  God,  I  adjure  you ;  by  the  love  of 
Christ,  by  the  patience  of  the  Spirit,  by  the  uncer- 
tainty of  life,  by  the  certainty  of  death,  by  the  terrors 
of  the  judgment,  by  the  bliss  of  the  saved,  by  the 
woes  of  the  lost,  by  every  motive  which  can  be  drawn 
from  heaven,  or  earth,  or  hell,  come  out  from  the 
doomed  world  of  transgressors,  and  come  to  Jesus. 

This  is  the  first  form  of  God's  invitation  to  lost  men. 
It  is  the  call  which  seeks  to  wake  the  spiritually  dead, 
and  bids  the  sleeper  rise. 

But  the  Gospel  has  another  "  Come  "  a  summons 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  249 

for  another  class.  We  must  not  forget  the  secret 
seekers  after  God,  who  are  found  in  almost  every 
Christian  congregation ;  souls  not  far  from  the  king- 
dom, weary  ones,  who  are  sick  of  sin,  who  timorously 
sigh  for  a  Saviour,  saying,  "  Oh,  that  I  knew  where  I 
might  find  him,  that  I  might  come  even  unto  his  seat." 
I  fear  we  preachers  too  often  overlook  these  precious 
ones  over  whom  Christ's  heart  yearns  so  tenderly. 
You  were  afraid  I  was  about  to  forget  you,  this  time  ? 
No,  no  !  I  love  too  well  to  bring  the  Gospel  invitation 
to  such  as  you.  Oh,  it  is.  such  a  different  "Come" 
from  that  which  is  needed  to  awaken  the  slumbering 
sinner.  Both  are  prompted  by  love,  but  this  is  so 
much  gentler,  tenderer,  how  can  you  hesitate  to  act 
upon  it?  Could  any  other  invitation  be  so  welcome 
to  your  burdened  heart  ?  Does  he  not  offer  all  you; 
sigh  for?  If  you  will  but  come  to  him  and  confess 
your  sins,  is  he  not  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  you' 
your  sins,  and  to  cleanse  you  from  all  unrighteousness  ? 

"  Oh,  yes,"  you  say,  "  I  believe  it  all ;  but  somehow 
when  it  comes  to  the  point  of  casting  myself  upon 
him  as  my  perfect  and  everlasting  Saviour,  I  lack  the 
needed  confidence  and  fall  back." 

That  is  it  exactly.  You  lack  confidence ;  in  other 
words,  faith.  How  are  you  going  to  get  it  ?  May  I 
tell  you  how  ?  If  you  cannot  go,  you  can  at  least  look 
to  him.  Behold  him  surrendering  his  pristine  glory 

and  assuming  your  lowly  nature,  that  here  in  pain  and 
p* 


250  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

sorrow  he  might  work  out  your  redemption.  Is  he 
not  worthy  of  your  confidence  ?  Open  another  sense 
and  listen,  as  in  tones  which  have  hushed  the  world 
he  tells  you  his  errand :  "  The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost."  That  means  you; 
you  know  it  does.  Listen  again,  as  he  breathes  over 
the  ages  the  sweetest  invitation  of  heaven :  "  Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest."  That  is  what  I  call  the  second 
"Come  "  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  Christ's  "Come"  to  the 
penitent  and  broken-hearted.  It  is  meant  precisely 
for  you.  And  to  give  you  the  greater  confidence,  he 
has  said  in  words  which  shall  live  till  time's  last  hour, 
"Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 
Mark  that  pledge.  Red-letter  it  in  your  Bibles.  In- 
scribe it  on  the  walls  of  your  closet.  "Him" — no 
matter  who  you  are,  young  or  old,  rich  or  poor,  black 
or  white — "HiM  THAT  COMETH  UNTO  ME  I  WILL  IN  NO 
WISE  CAST  OUT."  And  lest  you  should  not  believe 
Christ,  the  prophet  declares  that  in  his  day  he  was  a 
"  mighty  Saviour."  And  lest  you  should  not  believe 
the  prophet,  the  evangelist  says  that  "to  as  many  as 
received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God."  And  lest  you  should  not  believe  this 
evangelist,  Paul  declares  that  he  was  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners, and  yet  that  even  he  obtained  mercy.  And  lest 
you  should  fail  to  believe  Paul,  Peter  tells  even  the 
murderers  of  his  Lord,  "  Whosoever  shall  call  upon  the 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  251 

name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved."  And  lest  you 
should  fail  to  believe  Peter,  John  cries  out,  "  The  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ,  his  son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 
And  lest  you  should  slight  the  testimony  of  former 
ages,  the  whole  church  militant  rolls  round  the  world 
the  ceaseless  confession : 


He  breaks  the  power  of  canceled  sin, 

He  sets  the  prisoner  free; 
His  blood  can  make  the  foulest  clean, 

His  blood  avails  for  me! 


And,  lest  you  should  fail  to  believe  the  Church  mili- 
tant the  Church  triumphant  chants  in  your  very  hear- 
ing, "  Thou  etrt  worthy  to  take  the  book  and  to  open 
the  seals  thereof;  for  thou  wast  slain  and  hast  re- 
deemed us  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred 
and  tongue  and  people  and  nation."  And  the  number 
of  these  witnesses  of  Christ's  saving  power  is  ten  thou- 
sand times  ten  thousand  and  thousands  of  thousands. 
And  as  they  behold  in  heaven's  light  from  what  they 
were  saved,  and  him  who  saved  them,  they  shout  with 
a  loud  voice,  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to 
receive  power  and  riches  and  wisdom  and  strength 
and  honor  and  glory  and  blessing." 

0  timorous  seeker,  do  you  need  any  further  testi- 
mony ?  Are  you  not  ashamed  in  the  face  of  such  wit- 
nesses to  doubt?  Is  not  this  High  Priest  able  to  save 
to  the  uttermost  all  who  will  come  to  God  through 
him?  0  come  then,  and  test  his  power,  test  his  will- 


252  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

ingness,  that  then  you  may  chime  in  with  the  chorus 
of  earth  and  heaven.  Do  not  tarry  to  make  up  any 
presentation  robes  or  speeches.  Come  just  as  your 
predecessors  have  come.  Come,  timing  your  hasting 
footstep  to  the  utterance : 

"Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea, 
But  that  thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  thou  bid'st  me  come  to  thee, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come." 

But  the  gospel  has  a  third  Come.  It  is  Christ's  call 
to  the  disciples.  Do  you  remember  how  it  runs? 
"  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself 
and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me."  It  is  not  a 
coming  to  a  stationary  Christ,  but  a  coming  after  a 
forerunning  one. 

In  a  memorable  battle  of  history  an  army  of  patriots 
were  sore  bestead.  They  were  yielding  their  ground 
at  every  point.  Vainly  the  captains  shouted,  "For- 
ward." Vainly  the  colonels  smote  the  retreating  with 
their  swords,  yelled,  "  Back,  ye  cowards !  Charge  the 
foe  !  "  Ever  backward  fell  the  staggering  squadrons, 
until  at  length  retreat  was  giving  place  to  wildest 
rout  and  panic.  Just  at  this  critical  moment,  when 
all  seemed  lost,  the  commanding  general  flashed 
through  their  broken  ranks,  waving  a  sword  which 
had  never  known  dishonor,  and  shouting,  "Follow  we, 
boys !  "  At  that  word  every  nerve  tingled,  every 
pulse  leaped,  every  heart  bounded,  every  backward 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  253 

step   was   turned,   and   an  invincible   army   charged 
under  that  leadership  to  victory.  ^ 

That,  brethren,  is  Christ's  style  of  command.  He 
never  stands  in  the  rear  crying,  "  There  's  the  enemy ; 
up  'and  at  them ! "  0,  no.  The  Captain  of  our  sal- 
vation is  a  leader,  and  the  hardest  command  he  lays 
upon  his  soldiery  is  that  oft-repeated  "Follow  me." 
No  private  in  his  army  can  ever  complain  that  his 
general  exposes  him  more  than  he  does  himself. 
What  a  blessed  and  cheering  thought  is  this.  How  it 
inspires  the  weary  and  fainting.  How  it  stops  the 
mouth  of  complaint,  and  makes  petulance  ashamed  of 
itself.  0,  disconsolate  brother  !  Does  your  way  seem 
rough  and  thorny  ?  Your  Lord  has  trodden  it  with 
bleeding  feet  before  you.  Does  his  service  necessitate 
great  sacrifice  ?  It  may  be,  but  tell  me,  is  it  equal  to 
his  sacrifice  for  you,  who  though  he  was  rich  yet  for 
your  sake  became  poor,  that  you  through  his  poverty 
might  be  rich?  Have  you  for  his  sake  surrendered 
such  richesj  or  welcomed  such  poverty?  You  find  his 
commandments  hard,  do  you  ?  Mention  one  which  he 
did  not  himself  obey  before  laying  it  upon  you.  Is 
much  prayer  irksome  ?  How  many  whole  nights  have 
you  spent  praying  in  lonely  mountains  apart?  Is 
fasting  grievous  to  the  flesh  ?  When  did  you  try  it 
for  forty  days  and  forty  nights  in  succession  ?  0  !  I 
love  to  march  under  such  a  leader,  one  who  never 
says,  "  Go  "  on,  but  always  "  Come  "  on. 


254  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

Yes,  brethren,  we  are  soldiers.  We  are  on  hostile 
soil.  But  when  I  survey  my  own  soldiering  for 
Christ,  and  that  of  most  of  my  comrades,  I  am  aston- 
ished that  with  such  an  army  he  has  ever  won  a  single 
skirmish.  What  blundering,  what  sloth,  what  muti- 
nies, have  characterized  our  service !  How  many  of 
our  number  have  been  play  soldiers,  delighted,  it  may 
be,  with  the  evolutions  of  the  drill-room,  but  always 
stacking  arms  at  the  close  of  the  exercise  with  no 
thought  of  resuming  them  again  until  the  next  ap- 
pointed drill.  Do  you  recognize  the  class?  These 
are  they  who  are  always  found  with  clock-like  regu- 
larity at  church  and  in  the  social  meeting,  who  are 
perchance  foremost  in  prayer  and  exhortation,  but 
who  can  go  home  and  work  all  the  week  with  a  swear- 
ing neighbor  without  ever  venturing  to  rebuke  his  sin 
or  invite  him  to  Christ.  Then  how  many  on  the 
other  hand  neglect  and  trample  on  Christ's  army  dis- 
cipline, in  a  fanatical  zeal  to  do  more  fighting.  These 
you  all  know.  They  are  the  men  and  women,  who 
without  self-restraint,  or  system,  or  consistent  piety, 
are  always  pitching  into  everybody  and  everything, 
anxious  only  for  a  fight.  Many  of  them  mean  well, 
and  at  first  dash  forth  to  battle  more  brilliantly  than 
the  regulars,  but  when  the  long  marches  and  steady 
actions  come  on,  when  vigils  and  fastings,  and  sleeping 
upon  arms  become  necessary,  Oh,  how  worse  than  use- 
less;  how  demoralizing  they  are.  Again  how  many 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  255 

forget  both  discipline  and  fighting,  and  not  only  im- 
pede the  movements  of  the  army,  but  also  dampen  its 
ardor  and  destroy  its  esprit.  These  are  the  backslid- 
ers, the  greatest  of  all  curses  to  the  army  of  Christ. 
Were  they  only  open  mutineers  or  deserters,  they 
could  at  least  be  shot.  That  would  at  once  relieve 
the  service  of  their  cumbrance  and  heighten  the  disci- 
pline of  the  body.  But  these  cowardly,  moping,  stu- 
pid laggards,  who  neither  love  their  general  nor  hate 
the  foe,  to  what  earthly  purpose  can  they  be  put  ?  I 
wonder  not  that  Christ  has  said  of  them,  "  They  are 
henceforth  good  for  nothing  but  to  be  cast  out  and  to 
be  trodden  under  foot  of  men."  Then  again  how 
many  whole  divisions  of  the  army  have  wavered,  re- 
volted, and  gone  over  to  the  enemy.  How  many 
more  are  fighting  amongst  themselves  just  because  of 
a  different  banner  or  uniform.  How  few  are  the  good 
soldiers,  the  undemoralized  regiments,  the  victorious 
divisions ! 

But  let  us  not  be  disheartened.  There  never  was 
less  reason  for  being  so.  Our  leader  can  never  be  de- 
feated. Each  season  is  chronicling  stupendous  victo- 
ries. The  last  great  heathen  powers  are  crumbling, 
and  the  outposts  of  Christ's  kingdom  already  encircle 
the  world.  With  each  new  victory  the  spirit  of  the 
army  rises.  Many  of  the  lukewarm  are  catching  in- 
spiration, many  of  the  f  aintrhearted  are  waxing  valiant, 
many  of  the  quarrelsome  are  making  peace,  many  of 


256  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

the  divided,  union.  Long  stationary  regiments  are 
wheeling  into  line,  long-lost  divisions  are  coming  into 
view.  The  whole  magnificent  array,  many-tinted, 
many-tongued,  is  getting  into  action.  Immamiel's 
"  Come  "  echoes  from  the  far  front  to  farthest  rear. 
All  burn  to  share  in  the  common  victory.  Thank  God 
it  is  so.  God  speed  each  separate  company  and  corps ! 

But  I  hear  a  voice,  feeble  and  broken,  and  it  asks, 
"  Is  there  not  one  other  Come,  for  such  as  I  ?  I  once 
heard  the  first  Come,  and  the  second.  I  obeyed.  I 
came  to  the  blessed  Jesus,  and  since  that  time  I  have 
been  coming  after  him.  I  have  loved  to  hear  his  voice 
in  the  van,  and  to  fight  under  his  banner.  I  have  been 
his  soldier  these  thirty,  forty,  fifty  years.  But  now  I 
am  old  and  feeble.  My  eyes  are  dun,  and  I  halt  upon 
my  staff.  I  can  no  more  go  forth  to  battle.  Is  there 
no  different  Come  for  me  ?  " 

Oh,  yes,  aged  comrade.  Or  ever  you  are  aware,  a 
new,  delightful  call  shall  reach  you,  a  voice  from 
heaven,  saying,  "Come  up  higher."  And  these  ears, 
now  dull  of  hearing,  shall  be  unstopped,  and  ravishing 
music  shall  flow  in.  These  fading  eyes  shall  be  re- 
lighted, and  you  shall  see  angels'  waiting  to  translate 
you  to  your  Lord.  Oh,  to  come  thus  convoyed  into 
his  presence  !  Oh,  to  see  him  face  to  face  !  And  be- 
fore you  half  explore  that  wondrous  Paradise,  there  '11 
be  another  coming,  grander  than  ever  angel  dreamed. 
And  they  shall  come  from  the  east  and  from  the  west, 


The  Gospel  Invitation.  257 

and  from  the  north  and  from  the  south.  And  all  na- 
tions shall  be  gathered  together.  And  the  great  white 
throne  shall  be  set  up  and  Christ  shall  sit  upon  it. 
And  he  shall  separate  them  one  from  another,  even  as 
a  shepherd  divide th  his  sheep  from  the  goats.  Then, 
white-haired  brother,  then  shalt  thou  hear  the  final 
"  Come  "  of  history.  Oh,  what  joy  will  there  be  upon 
the  right  hand.  How  lustrous  will  beam  those  angel 
faces !  What  light  will  fill  the  eyes  of  ancient  king 
and  prophet — eyes  that  longed  to  see  Christ's  day,  but 
died  without  the  sight.  What  exultation  will  swell 
the  heart  of  holy  martyrs  and  apostles.  Yea,  what 
sweet  suspenseful  blessedness  shall  fill  and  sway  and 
agitate  thy  heart,  my  time-bowed  brother,  as  there, 
replenished  with  immortal  youth,  star-crowned  and 
robed  and  palmed,  thou,  too,  shalt  wait  with  all  the 
saints  that  final,  promised  utterance.  And  when  at 
length  over  that  hushed  sea  of  being  the  voice  of  the 
King  shall  send  forth  his  last  concluding  invitation, 
that  concluding  invitation  shall  be  like  the  first: 
"  Come  !  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world!" 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  the  outcome  of  this  gospel 
invitation.  ^Redemption  from  all  sorrow  and  all  sin, 
likeness  to  the  white  and  holy  Christ,  eternal  life  with 
God  in  heaven.  To  this  we  call  you  to-day.  The 
Spirit  and  the  Bride  say,  Come.  Oh  ye  that  hear,  say 


258  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

Come.  Oh,  ye  that  are  in  any  wise  athirst,  come. 
And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  this  water  of  life 
freely.  Blessed  word,  "  whosoever  will."  As  one  has 
said,  that  "  whosoever  "  is  the  great  bell  of  God's  eter- 
nal and  impartial  love.  It  rings  all  home  alike.  Its 
mighty  boom  of  promise  drowns  each  doubt  and  cavil. 
Come,  thou  swearer ;  come,  thou  that  hast  trifled 
with  gracious  convictions;  come,  backslider;  come, 
thou  that  hast  deemed  thyself  a  reprobate ;  come, 
thou  that  fearest  to  have  quenched  the  Spirit  ever- 
more :  "  whosoever,"  "  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of 
the  water  of  life  freely." 


FINAL  PERMANENCE  OF  MORAL  CHARACTER, 


LEOTTJIRE. 


BY 

KEV.  JOSEPH  COOK. 


FINAL  PEEIANENCE  OF  IDEAL  CHAEACTEE, 


BY   REV.    JOSEPH   COOK. 


Charles  IX.  of  France  was  importuned  to  kill 
Coligny,  lie  for  a  long  time  refused  to  do  so  publicly 
or  secretly,  but  at  last  he  gave  way,  and  consented  in 
these  memorable  words :  "  Assassinate  Admiral  Colig- 
ny, but  leave  not  a  Huguenot  alive  in  France  to  re- 
proach me."  So  came  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew. When  the  soul  resolves  to  assassinate  some  holy 
motive  ;  when  the  spirit  determines  to  kill,  in  the  inner 
realm,  Admiral  Coligny,  it,  too,  delays  for  a  while,  and 
when  it  gives  way  usually  says :  "  Assassinate  this  ac- 
cuser of  mine,  but  leave  not  an  accusing  accomplice  of 
his  in  all  my  kingdom  alive  to  reproach  me."  So 
comes  the  massacre  of  the  desire  to  be  holy. 

Emerson  quotes  the  Welsh  Triad  as  saying :  "  God 
himself  cannot  procure  good  to  the  wicked."  Julius 
Muller,  Dorner,  Kothe,  Schleiermacher,  no  less  than 
Plato,  Aristotle,  and  Socrates,  assert  that  in  the  nature 
of  things  there  can  be  no  blessedness  without  holi- 
ness. Confucius  said:  "Heaven  means  principle." 

263 


264  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

But  what  if  a  soul  permanently  loses  principle  ?  Si 
vis  fug  ere  a  Deo  fuge  ad  Deum,  is  the  Latin  proverb. 
If  you  wish  to  flee  from  God,  flee  to  him.  The  soul 
cannot  escape  from  God ;  and  can  two  walk  together 
unless  they  are  agreed  ?  Surely  there  are  a  few  cer- 
tainties in  religion,  or  several  points  clear  to  exact 
ethical  science  in  relation  to  the  natural  conditions  of 
the  peace  of  the  soul. 

It  is  plainly  possible  that  a  man  may  fall  into  free 
permanent  dissimilarity  of  feeling  with  God,  or  fail 
to  attain  a  predominant  desire  to  be  holy. 

If  he  does  this,  it  remains  scientifically  certain  that 
even  omnipotence  and  omniscience  cannot  force  upon 
such  a  character,  blessedness.  There  can  be  no  bless- 
edness without  holiness ;  and  there  can  be  no  holiness 
without  a  supreme  love  of  what  God  loves,  and  a 
supreme  hate  of  what  God  hates.  It  is  possible  that 
a  man  may  so  disarrange  his  nature  as  not  to  attain 
a  permanent  and  predominant  desire  to  be  holy. 

Theodore  Parker,  as  his  biographers  admit,  must 
be  called  a  great  reader  rather  than  a  great  scholar. 
But,  De  "Wette,  his  German  master,  although  most 
of  Ids  works  have  ceased  to  be  authorities  in  Bibli- 
cal research,  ought  to  have  prevented  Theodore  Par- 
ker from  asserting  that  the  Founder  of  Christianity 
did  not  teach  that  there  may  be  a  failure  in  a  free 
agent  to  attain  a  permanent  and  predominant  desire 
to  be  holy.  Theodore  Parker  himself  ought  to  have 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        265 

prevented  himself  from  that  assertion.  In  his  earlier 
career,  he  held  that  Our  Lord  did  teach  a  possibility 
of  the  failure  of  some  forever  and  forever  to  attain  a 
supreme  love  of  what  God  loves,  and  a  supreme  hate 
of  what  God  hates.  He  thought  that  the  New  Tes- 
tament, properly  interpreted,  does  contain  in  it  a 
statement  that  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  fail  per- 
manently to  attain  the  predominant  desire  to  be  holy, 
and  this  was  one  of  Parker's  reasons  for  rejecting 
the  authority  of  the  New  Testament.  But  toward 
the  end  of  his  career  he  tried  to  persuade  Frances 
Power  Cobbe  that  the  Founder  of  Christianity  did 
not  teach  that  any  will  be  lost.  Parker's  writings 
are  self-contradictory  on  this  supreme  topic,  most  of 
the  real  difficulties  of  which  he  skipped. 

It  is  the  wisdom  of  all  science,  however,  never  to 
skip  difficulties.  I  know  how  widely  intellectual  unrest 
on  the  topic  I  am  now  introducing  fills  minds  that 
never  have  been  much  troubled  by  Theodore  Parker. 
I  know  that  many  conscientious  and  learned  persons 
have  asked  themselves  the  question  the  disciples  once 
asked  Our  Lord:  "Are  there  few  that  be  saved?"  He 
answered  that  inquiry  very  distinctly :  "  Yes,  there  are 
few."  Does  science  answer  in  the  same  way  ? 

It  would  not  follow,  my  friends,  even  if  you  were 
to  take  Our  Lord's  answer  as  supreme  authority,  as 
I  do,  that  this  universe  is  a  failure.  All  ages  to 
come  are  to  be  kept  in  view;  all  other  worlds.  Our 

Q* 


266  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

Lord's  words  referred  to  our  present  evil  generation ; 
and,  if  you  ask  the  central  question  in  the  best  mod- 
ern form,  you  must  answer  it  in  his  way.  How  many, 
in  the  present  state  of  our  earth,  love  predominantly 
what  God  loves,  and  hate  predominantly  what  God 
hates  ?  How  many  have  acquired  predominant  simi- 
larity of  feeling  with  God?  Only  those  who  have, 
can  be  at  peace  in  his  presence,  either  here  or  here- 
after. That  is  as  certain  as  any  deduction  from  our 
intuitions  concerning  the  nature  of  things.  As  sure 
as  that  a  thing  cannot  be  and  not  be  at  the  same  time 
in  the  same  sense,  so  sure  is  it,  that  a  man  cannot  be 
at  peace  with  God  when  he  loves  what  he  hates  and 
hates  what  he  loves.  There  must  be  harmony  or  disso- 
nance between  them,  and  dissonance  is  its  own  punish- 
ment. Dissimilarity  of  feeling  with  God  carries  with 
it  immense  wages,  in  the  nature  of  things.  In  the 
name  of  science,  ask,  Are  there  few  that  have  ac- 
quired a  predominant  love  of  what  God  loves  and  a 
predominant  hate  of  what  God  hates  ?  We  must  an- 
swer in  the  name  of  science,  that  broad  is  the  way 
and  wide  is  the  gate,  which,  in  our  evil  generation, 
leads  to  dissimilarity  of  feeling  with  God,  and  many 
there  be  who  go  in  thereat ;  but  strait  is  the  way  and 
narrow  is  the  gate  which  leads  to  similarity  of  feeling 
with  God,  and  few  are  they  in  our  time  that  find  it. 
But  there  are  other  worlds;  there  are  other  ages. 
"Save  yourselves  from  this  untoward  generation." 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.       267 

Who  knows  that  in  the  final  summing  up  the  number 
of  the  lost  may  be  greater  than  that  of  the  saved?  or, 
as  Lyman  Beecher  used  to  say  in  this  city,  "greater 
than  the  number  of  our  criminals  in  penal  institutions 
is  in  contrast  with  the  whole  of  the  ^population."  But 
I  talk  of  the  galaxies;  I  talk  of  the  infinities,  and  of 
the  eternities ;  and  not  merely  of  this  world,  in  which 
/you  and  I  are  to  work  out  our  deliverance  from  the 

love  of  sin,  and  the  guilt  of  sin,  and  have  reason  to  do 

\^/ 

so  with  fear  and  trembling. 

I  ask  no  man  here  to-day,  or  any  day,  to  take 
my  opinions.  You  are  requested  to  notice  whether 
discussion  is  clear;  not  whether  it  is  orthodox.  Let 
us  put  aside  entirely  all  ecclesiastical  and  denomi- 
national tests.  This  Lectureship  has  for  its  purpose 
simply  the  discussion  of  the  clear,  the  true,  the  new 
and  the  strategic  in  the  relations  between  science 
and  religion. 

What  are  some  of  the  more  important  natural  laws 
which  enable  us  to  estimate  scientifically  the  possible 
extent  of  the  natural  penalties  of  sin  ? 

I.  Under  irreversible  natural  law,  sin  produces  judi- 
cial blindness. 

Kill  Admiral  Coligny,  drive  out  the  Huguenots, 
permit  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  you 
have  made  a  new  France.  Carlyle  says  that  it  pleased 
France  to  slit  her  own  veins  and  let  out  the  best 


268  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

blood  she  had,  and  that  she  did  this  on  the  night  of 
the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew ;  and  that  after  that 
she  was  historically  another  creature.  Having  killed 
Coligny  you  cannot  look  his  friends  in  the  face ;  you 
kill  them  and  your  kingdom  is  a  new  one.  When  a 
man  sins  against  light,  there  comes  upon  him  an 
unwillingness  to  look  upon  the  accusing  illumination, 
and  the  consequence  is  that  he  turns  away  from  it. 
But  that  effect  itself  becomes  a  cause.  Keep  your 
eyes  upon  your  Shakespeare,  upon  your  Greek  poets, 
(or  upon  whatever  is  a  good  mirror  of  human  nature, 
and  tell  me  whether  these  six  propositions  are  not  all 
scientifically  demonstrable :  — 

1.  Truth  possessed  but  not  obeyed  becomes  unwel- 
come. 

2.  It  is  therefore  shut  out  of  the  voluntary  activi- 
ties of  memory  and  reflection,  as  it  gives  pain. 

3.  The   passions  it  should   check   grow   therefore 
stronger. 

4.  The  moral  emotions  it  should  feed  grow  weaker. 

5.  An  ill-balanced  state  of  the  soul  thus  arises  and 
tends  to  become  habitual. 

6.  That  ill-balanced  state  renders  the  soul  blind  to 
the  truths  most  needed  to  rectify  its  condition. 

"  On  the  temperate  man,"  says  Aristotle,*  "  are  at- 
tendant, perhaps  forthwith,  by  motion  of  his  temper- 
ance, good  opinions  and  appetites  as  to  pleasures ;  but 
on  the  intemperate,  the  opposite." 

*  Rhetoric,  Bohn's  Ed.,  p.  70. 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        269 

A  man  sins  against  light  boldly.  To  the  divine  "  I 
ought"  he  answers,  "I  will  not;"  to  the  divine  "thou 
shalt"  or  "thou  oughtest"  he  replies,  "  I  will  not." 
The  consequence  instantly  is  that  he  ceases  to  be  at 
peace  with  himself ;  and  light,  instead  of  becoming  a 
blessing,  is  to  him  an  accusation.  The  slant  javelin  of 
truth  that  was  intended  to  penetrate  him  with  rapture, 
fills  him  now  with  torture.  If  we  give  ourselves  to  an 
exact  study  of  the  soul's  pains  and  pleasures,  there  is 
in  man  no  greater  bliss  than  conscience  can  afford, 
and  no  greater  pain  than  it  can  inflict.  In  this  stage 
of  existence  the  highest  bliss  comes  from  similarity  of 
feeling  with  God,  and  the  highest  pain  from  dissimi- 
larity of  feeling  with  him.  The  greatest  pains  and 
pleasures,  therefore,  are  set  over  against  our  greatest 
duties,  and  so  God's  desire  that  we  should  agree  with 
him  is  shown  by  our  living  under  the  points  of  all 
these  penalties  and  blisses.  But  light  having  become 
an  accuser,  man  turns  away  from  it.  Then  the  vir- 
tues which  that  light  ought  to  quicken  are  allowed  to 
languish.  The  vices  which  that  light  ought  to  repress 
grow  more  vigorous.  Repeated  acts  of  sin  result  in  a 
continued  state  of  dissimilarity  of  feeling  with  God. 
That  state  is  an  effect,  but  it  becomes  a  cause.  Ac- 
cording to  New  England  theology,  sin  exists  only  in 
acts  of  choice ;  but  the  newest  school  of  that  theology 
need  have  110  war  with  the  oldest,  for  the  former 
recognizes  as  fully  as  the  latter  can,  that  the  state  of 


270  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

dissimilarity  of  feeling  with  God  is  the  source  of  the 
evil  acts  of  choice.  That  state  of  the  dispositions  is 
the  copious  fountain  of  sin,  and  as  such  is  properly 
called  depravity.  This  state,  continuing,  becomes  a 
habit;  then  that  habit,  continuing  long,  becomes 
chronic,  and  so  the  result  is  an  ill-balanced  growth  of 
the  character. 

When  I  hung  my  hammock  up  last  summer  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  George,  I  noticed  that  the  trees  nearest 
the  light  at  the  edge  of  the  forest  had  larger  branches 
than  those  in  the  interior  of  the  wood ;  and  that  the 
same  tree  would  throw  out  a  long  branch  toward  the 
light  and  a  short  one  toward  obscurity  in  the  interior 
of  the  forest.  Just  so  a  man  grows  toward  the  light  to 
which  he  turns.  According  to  the  direction  in  which 
he  turns  with  his  supreme  affection  he  grows ;  and,  as 
he  grows,  he  balances ;  and,  under  the  irreversible  natu- 
ral law  of  moral  gravitation,  —  as  fixed,  as  scientific  a 
certainty  in  the  universe  as  the  law  of  physical  gravita- 
tion,—  as  he  balances  so  he  falls;  and,  according  to 
science,  after  a  tree  has  fallen  under  that  law,  the 
prostrate  trunk  continues  to  be  under  the  law,  and, 
therefore,  as  it  falls  so  it  lies. 

Under  moral  gravitation  no  less  surely  than  under 
physical,  every  free  object  that  falls  out  of  the  sky 
strikes  on  its  heavier  side.  They  showed  me  at  Am- 
herst  the  other  day  a  meteorite  that  dropped  out  of 
the  azure,  and  it  struck  on  which  side  ?  Of  course  on 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        271 

its  heavier.  As  the  stream  runs,  so  it  wears  its  chan- 
nel; as  it  wears  its  channel,  so  it  runs.  All  the  my- 
thologies of  the  globe  recognize  this  fearful  law  of  ju- 
dicial blindness. 

Go  yonder  into  Greenland  with  Dr.  Ranke,  and  you 
will  find  a  story  among  the  men  of  the  lonely  North 
to  the  effect  that  if  a  sorcerer  will  make  a  stirrup  out 
of  a  strip  of  seal  skin  and  wind  it  around  his  limbs, 
three  times  about  his  heart,  and  thrice  about  his  neck, 
and  seven  times  about  his  forehead,  and  then  knot  it 
before  his  eyes,  that  sorcerer,  when  the  lamps  are  put 
out  at  night,  may  rise  into  space  and  fly  whithersoever 
his  leading  passion  dictates.  So  we  put  ourselves  into 
the  stirrup  of  predominant  love  of  what  God  hates,  and 
predominant  hate  of  what  God  loves,  and  we  coil  the 
strands  about  our  souls.  They  are  thrice  wound  about 
our  heart,  three  times  around  the  neck,  seven  times 
around  our  foreheads,  and  knotted  before  our  eyes. 
If  the  poor  savages  yonder,  where  the  stars  look  down 
four  months  of  the  year  without  interruption,  are  right 
in  their  sublime  theory  as  to  the  solemnities  of  the 
universe,  we,  too,  when  the  lamps  are  out,  shall  rise 
into  the  Unseen  Holy  and  fly  whithersoever  our  lead- 
ing passion  dictates. 

Greenland  says  that  hunters  once  went  out  and 
found  a  revolving  mountain,  and  that,  attempting  to 
cross  the  chasm  between  it  and  the  firm  land,  some  of 
these  men  were  crushed  as  the  mountain  revolved. 


272  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

But  they  finally  noticed  that  the  gnarled,  wheeling 
mass  had  a  red  side  and  a  white  side.  They  waited 
till  the  white  side  came  opposite  them ;  and  then,  as- 
cending the  mountain,  found  that  a  king  lived  on  its 
summit ;  made  themselves  loyal  to  him ;  surrendered 
themselves  to  him,  affectionately  and  irreversibly ;  and 
afterwards  found  themselves  able  to  go  and  come 
safely.  But  the  mountain  had  a  red  side,  and  it  turned 
and  turned,  and  there  was  no  safety  on  it  except  on 
the  white  side  and  in  loyalty  to  the  king  at  the  sum- 
mit in  the  clouds.  That  mythology  of  the  North, 
lately  read  for  us  by  scholars,  has  in  it  eternal  verity 
and  a  kind  of  solemnity  like  that  of  the  long  shining 
of  the  Arctic  stars,  and  the  tumbling  icebergs,  and  the 
peaceable  gurgle  of  the  slow-heaving  Polar  Ocean,  far- 
gleaming  under  the  boreal  lights  or  the  midnight 
Arctic  sun.  Stunted,  you  think  the  men  of  that  zone  ? 
Why,  on  the  banks  of  the  Charles  yonder,  your  Long- 
fellow, taking  up  a  German  poet,  finds  the  same  idea 
in  far  less  sublime  and  subtle  imagery,  and  translates 
it  for  its  majesty  and  truth: 


"  The  mills  of  God  grind  slowly, 
But  they  grind  exceeding  small." 


To  me  there  is  in  Macbeth  nothing  so  terrible  as 
Lady  Macbeth's  invocation  of  the  spirits  which  produce 
moral  callousness  in  the  soul.  There  is  no  passage  in 
that  sublime  treatise  on  conscience  which  we  call  Mac- 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        273 

beth,  so  sublime  to  me  as  this,  on  the  law  of  judicial 
blindness : 

The  raven  himself  is  hoarse 
That  croaks  the  fatal  entrance  of  Duncan 
Under  my  battlements.  Come,  you  spirits, 

....  Unsex  me  here 

And  fill  me  from  the  crown  to  the  toe  top-full 
Of  direst  cruelty!    Make  thick  my  blood. 
Stop  up  the  access  and  passage  to  remorse. 

....  Come,  thick  Night, 
And  pall  thee  in  the  dunnest  smoke  of  hell, 
That  my  keen  knife  see  not  the  wound  it  makes, 
Nor  heaven  peep  through  the  blanket  of  the  dark, 
To  cry  "Hold!  Hold!" 

(Macbeth,  Act  i.,  Scene  5.) 

That  invocation  is  likely  to  be  uttered  by  every  soul 
which  has  said  "I  will  not"  to  the  divine  "I  ought." 
It  is  as  sure  to  be  answered  as  natural  law  is  to  be 
irreversible.  Macbeth  himself,  in  a  similar  mood, 

says: 

Come,  seeling  night, 
Scarf  up  the  tender  eye  of  pitiful  day. 
Cancel  and  tear  to  pieces  that  great  bond 
Which  keeps  me  pale.     Light  thickens,  and  the  crow 
Makes  wing  to  the  rooky  wood. 

(Macbeth,  Act  in.,  Scene  2.) 

Have  you  ever  offered  in  the  rooky  wood  of  sorcer- 
ous  temptation,  a  prayer  for  blindness  ?  In  the  nature 
of  things  every  sin  against  light  draws  blood  on  the 
spiritual  retina. 

You  say  that  after  death  you  are  to  have  more  illu- 
mination, and  that  therefore  you  will  reform  beyond 
the  grave !  How  do  you  know  that  'you  will  see 


274  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

greater  illumination,  even  if  you  are  in  the  presence 
of  it  ?  How  do  you  know  that  you  will  love  it  even 
if  you  do  see  it  ?  There  can  be  no  blessedness  with- 
out holiness ;  there  can  be  no  holiness  without  a  free, 
affectionate  acknowledgment  of  God  as  King,  or  a  su- 
preme love  of  what  he  loves  and  hate  of  what  he  hates. 
Are  you  likely  to  obtain  these  soon  under  the  law  of 
judicial  blindness  ?  You  will  have  what  you  like  ;  but 
do  you  like  the  light  ?  You  have  more  and  more  illu- 
mination now  as  the  years  pass  !  Do  you  see  it  ?  Do 
you  love  it  ?  There  are  two  questions  about  this 
greater  light  beyond  the  grave :  first,  will  you  see  it  ? 
second,  will  you  like  it  ?  Unless  you  have  authority 
in  the  name  of  science  for  answering  both  these  ques- 
tions in  the  affirmative,  you  have  no  right  in  the  name 
of  science  to  rely  on  a  mere  possibility,  on  a  guess, 
and  take  your  leap  into  the  Unseen,  depending  on  a 
riddle.  I,  for  one,  will  not  do  this  for  myself ;  and  I 
will  not  teach  others  to  do  so. 

Shakespeare  has  not  left  us  in  doubt  at  all  on  this 
theme,  for  in  another  place  he  says : 

But  when  we  in  our  viciousness  grow  hard, 

....  the  wise  gods  seal  our  eyes; 

In  our  own  slime  drop  our  clear  judgments,  make  us 

Adore  our  errors:  laugh  at  us,  while  we  strut 

To  our  confusion. 

—  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  Act  iii.,  Scene  11. 

Carlyle   quotes  out  of   the  Koran  a  story  of   the 
dwellers  by  the  Dead  Sea,  to  whom  Moses  was  sent. 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        275 

They  sniffed  and  sneered  at  Moses ;  saw  no  comeliness 
in  Moses;  and  so  he  withdrew,  but  Nature  and  her 
rigorous  veracities  did  not  withdraw.  When  next  we 
find  the  dwellers  by  the  Dead  Sea,  they,  according  to 
the  Koran,  were  all  changed  into  apes.  "  By  not  using 
their  souls  they  lost  them."  "  And  now,"  continues 
Carlyle,  "their  only  employment  is  to  sit  there  and 
look  out  into  the  smokiest,  dreariest,  most  undecipher- 
able sort  of  universe ;  only  once  in  seven  days  they 
do  remember  that  they  once  had  souls.  Hast  thou 
never,  0  traveler,  fallen  in  with  parties  of  this  tribe  ? 
Methinks  they  have  grown  somewhat  numerous  in  our 
day." 

The  old  Greek  proverb  was,  that  the  avenging  dei- 
ties are  shod  with  wool;  but  the  wool  grows  on  the 
eyelids  that  refuse  the  light.  "  Whom  the  gods  would 
destroy  they  first  make  mad ;  "  but  the  insanity  arises 
from  judicial  blindness. 

Jeremy  Taylor  says  that  whoever  sins  against  light- 
kisses  the  lips  of  a  blazing  cannon. 

I  never  saw  a  dare-devil  face  that  had  not  in  it 
something  of  both  the  sneak  and  the  fool.  The 
sorcery  of  sin  is  that  it  changes  a  man  into  a  sneak 
and  a  fool,  but  the  fool  does  not  know  that  he  is  a 
sneak,  and  the  sneak  does  not  know  that  he  is  a  fool. 
If  I  were  a  sculptor  I  would  represent  sin  with  two 
faces,  like  those  of  Janus,  looking  in  opposite  direc- 
tions; one  should  be  idiotic,  the  other  Machiavellian. 


276  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

But  the  one  face  could  not  see  the  other.  The  idiot 
would  not  know  that  he  is  Machiavellian ;  the  Machia- 
velli  would  not  know  that  he  is  idiotic.  The  sneak 
would  not  know  that  he  is  a  fool,  nor  the  fool  that  he 
is  a  sneak. 

II.  Under  irreversible  natural  law  there  is  a  self- 
propagating  power  in  sin. 

Of  course  this  self-propagating  power  depends  upon 
the  law  of  judicial  blindness  very  largely,  but  by  no 
means  exclusively.  So  are  we  made  that  every  effect 
in  the  growth  of  our  characters  becomes  a  cause,  and 
every  good  effect  no  less  than  every  bad  one. 

The  laws  of  the  self-propagating  power  of  habit 
bless  the  righteous  as  much  as  they  curse  the  wicked. 
The  laws  by  which  we  attain  supreme  bliss  are  the 
laws  by  which  we  descend  to  supreme  woe.  In  the 
ladder  up  and  the  ladder  down  in  the  universe,  the 
rungs  are  in  the  same  side -pieces.  The  self -propagat- 
ing power  of  sin  and  the  self-propagating  power  of 
holiness  are  one  law.  The  law  of  judicial  blindness  is 
one  with  that  by  which  the  pure  in  heart  see  God, 
and  they  who  walk  toward  the  east  find  the  morning 
brighter  and  brighter  to  the  perfect  day. 

Of  course,  I  shall  offend  many  if  I  assert  that  there 
may  be  penalty  that  has  no  remedial  tendency.  But, 
gentlemen,  I  ask  you  to  be  clear,  and  to  remember 
that  an  unwelcome  truth  is  really  not  destroyed  by 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.       277 

shutting  the  eyes  to  it.  There  are  three  kinds  of  nat- 
ural laws,  the  physical,  the  organic,  and  the  moral. 
I  affirm  that  "Never  too  late  to  mend"  is  not  a  doc- 
trine of  science  in  the  domain  of  the  physical  laws,  nor 
is  it  in  that  of  the  organic. 

Under  the  physical  laws  of  gravitation  a  ship  may 
careen  to  the  right  or  left  and  only  a  remedial  effect 
be  produced.  The  danger  may  teach  the  crew  sea- 
manship ;  it  makes  men  bold  and  wise.  Thus  the 
penalty  of  violating  up  to  a  certain  point  the  physical 
Jaw  is  remedial  in  its  tendency.  But,  let  the  ship 
careen  beyond  a  certain  line  and  it  capsizes.  If  it  be 
of  iron  it  remains  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  hun- 
dreds and  hundreds  of  years  of  suffering  of  that  pen- 
alty has  no  tendency  to  bring  it  back.  Under  the 
physical  natural  laws,  plainly  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
its  being  too  late  to  mend.  In  their  immeasurable 
domain  there  is  a  distinction  between  penalty  that  has 
a  remedial  tendency,  and  penalty  that  has  no  remedial 
tendency  at  all. 

So,  under  the  organic  law,  your  tropical  tree,  gashed 
at  a  certain  point,  may  throw  forth  its  gums,  and  even 
have  greater  strength  than  before ;  but  gashed  beyond 
the  centre,  cut  through,  the  organic  law  is  so  far  vio- 
lated that  the  tree  falls ;  and  after  a  thousand  years, 
you  do  not  expect  to  see  the  tree  escape  from  the  do- 
minion of  the  law  which  is  enforcing  upon  it  penalty, 
do  you?  There  is  no  tendency  in  that  penalty  toward 


278  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

remedial  effect ;  none  at  all ;  and  you  know  it.  There- 
fore, under  the  organic  laws  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
its  being  too  late  to  mend. 

Now,  gentlemen,  keep  your  eyes  fastened  upon  the 
great  principle  of  analogy,  which  Newton  and  Butler 
call  the  supreme  rule  in  science,  and  ask  yourselves 
whether,  if  you  were  to  find  some  strange  animal  in  a 
geological  stratum,  and  if  you  were  to  know,  by  hav- 
ing one  of  its  hands  free,  that  it  had  three  fingers, 
and  if  you  were  to  find  two  fingers  on  the  other  hand 
free  from  the  rock,  and  both  shutting  toward  the 
palm,  you  would  not  infer  that  the  third  finger,  if  you 
could  loosen  it  from  the  rock,  would  also  be  found 
closing  toward  the  palm  ?  Just  so  I  ask  whether,  if 
we  find  that  under  two  sets  of  natural  laws  which  are 
all  included  under  three  classes,  there  is  incontroverti- 
bly  such  a  thing  as  penalty  without  remedial  effect, 
there  may  not  be  the  same  under  the  third  set  ?  Two 
fingers  shut  toward  the  palm.-  I  cannot  quite  trace 
the  whole  range  of  the  moral  law;  but  I  know  by 
analogy  that,  if  two  fingers  shut  toward  the  palm,  the 
third  probably  does.  If  there  is  such  a  thing  as  its 
being  forever  too  late  to  mend  under  the  organic  and 
the  physical  natural  law,  probably,  and  more  than 
probably,  there  is  such  a  thing  under  the  moral  natural 
law. 

Yes ;  but  you  say  the  will  is  free,  and,  therefore, 
that  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  a  man  will  fall  into 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.       279 

final  dissimilarity  of  feeling  with  God ;  or  can  so  lose 
the  desire  to  be  holy,  that  he  will  not  choose  the  right 
when  greater  light  comes.  You  affirm  that  the  self- 
propagating  power  of  sin  may  place  necessity  upon 
the  disordered  nature.  You  say  that  the  denial  that 
all  moral  penalty  is  remedial  requires  us  to  deny  that 
the  will  of  lost  souls  continues  free.  I  beg  your  par- 
don again,  and  that  in  the  name  of  science.  Gentle- 
men, there  may  be  certainty  where  there  is  no 
necessity. 

Is  John  Milton  putting  together  a  self-contradiction 
when  he  pictures  Satan  as  making  evil  his  good,  and 
as  yet  retaining  a  free  will  ?  Is  he  uttering  self-con- 
tradiction when  he  shows  us  a  fiendish  character  which 
retains  yet  some  elements  of  its  original  brightness  ? 
Has  Milton's  Satan  lost  free  will  ? 

Origen  used  to  teach  that  the  prince  of  fiends  might 
return  to  a  glad  allegiance  to  God  ;  and  so  did  Kobert 
Burns,  whom  Emerson  commends  for  using  these  words, 
originally  written  to  attack  the  proposition  I  am  now 
defending,  but,  after  all,  containing  most  subtle  confir- 
mation of  it : 

"auld  Nickie-ben! 

An'  wad  ye  tak  a  thought  and  men', 
Ye  aiblins  might  —  I  dinna  ken  — 
Still  hae  a  stake." 

No,  gentlemen ;  the  self -propagating  power  of  sin 
may  produce  a  state  of  soul  in  which  evil  is  chosen  as 


280  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

good,  and  in  which  it  is  forever  too  late  to  mend,  and 
yet  not  destroy  free  will. 

I  affirm  that  you  know  that  John  Milton's  Satan  is 
not  an  impossible  character.  You  say  you  do  not  care 
what  Milton  says;  but  I  am  not  asking  you  to  take 
his  theology.  Let  me  not  be  misunderstood  in  my 
citations  of  the  poets  as  witnesses  to  what  man  is. 
Paradise  Lost  is  a  great  classic,  and  no  poem  attains 
that  rank  if  it  is  full  of  manifest  absurdities.  Now, 
Milton's  Satan  is  a  character  in  which  the  disarrange- 
ment of  the  soul  is  supposed  to  have  become  perma- 
nent; he  has  fallen  into  final  permanence  of  evil 
character;  and  yet  he  is  represented  as  absolutely 
free  —  and  not  very  near  annihilation !  Burns  says  if 
Satan  had  the  predominant  wish  to  do  so,  he  might 
mend.  I  appeal  to  classical  literature  to  show  that  a 
permanent  evil  character,  with  a  free  will,  is  not  a 
psychological  self-contradiction.  You  admit  this  read- 
ily, age  after  age,  in  your  great  classics ;  but  the  instant 
I,  here,  standing  face  to  face  with  natural  religion,  as- 
sert that  there  may  be  a  final  permanence  of  free 
character,  bad  as  well  as  good,  and  good  as  well  as 
bad,  you  stand  aghast  at  your  own  proceeding.  Gen- 
tlemen, you  and  I  must  have  no  cross  purposes  with 
the  nature  of  things.  If  Milton's  description  is  not  a 
psychological  self-contradiction,  there  may  be  a  person 
of  permanently  bad  character,  absolutely  free  and 
therefore  responsible. 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        281 

III.  Under  irreversible  natural  law,  character  tends 
to  a  final  permanence,  good  or  bad.  In  the  nature  of 
the  case,  a  final  permanence  is  attained  but  once. 

If  asked  whether  final  permanence  of  character  is 
a  natural  law,  what  should  you  say,  if  we  were  to 
speak  without  reference  to  conclusions  in  religious  sci- 
ence ?  How  have  men  in  all  ages  expressed  them- 
selves in  literature  and  philosophy  on  this  theme  ?  Is 
it  not  perfectly  certain  that  all  the  great  writers  of 
the  world  justify  the  proposition  that  character  tends 
to  a  final  permanence,  good  or  bad? 

Gentlemen,  this  universe  up  to  the  edge  of  the 
tomb  is  not  a  joke.  There  are  in  this  life  serious  dif- 
ferences between  the  right  hand  and  the  left.  Never- 
theless, in  our  present  career,  a  man  has  but  one 
chance.  Even  if  you  come  weighted  into  the  world, 
as  Sinbad  was  with  the  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain,  you 
have  but  one  chance.  Time  does  not  fly  in  a  circle, 
but  forth  and  right  on.  The  wandering,  squandering, 
desiccated  moral  leper  is  gifted  with  no  second  set  of 
early  years.  There  is  no  fountain  in  Florida  that  gives 
perpetual  youth,  and  the  universe  might  be  searched, 
probably,  in  vain  for  such  a  spring.  Waste  your 
youth ;  you  shall  have  but  one  chance.  "Waste  your 
middle  life ;  you  shall  have  but  one  chance.  Waste 
your  old  age ;  you  shall  have  but  one  chance.  It  is 
an  irreversible  natural  law  that  character  attains  final 


282  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

permanence,  and  in  the  nature  of  things  final  perma- 
nence can  come  but  once.  This  world  is  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  made,  and  so  are  we,  and  we  shall  escape 
neither  ourselves  nor  these  stupendous  laws.  It  is  not 
to  me  a  pleasant  thing  to  exhibit  these  truths  from 
the  side  of  terror;  but,  on  the  other  side,  these  are 
the  truths  of  bliss ;  for  by  this  very  law  through  which 
all  character  tends  to  become  unchanging,  a  soul  that 
attains  a  final  permanence  of  good  character  runs  but 
one  risk  and  is  delivered  once  for  all  from  its  torture 
and  unrest.  It  has  passed  the  bourne  from  behind 
which  no  man  is  caught  out  of  the  fold.  He  who  is 
the  force  behind  all  natural  law,  is  the  keeper  of  his 
sheep,  and  no  one  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  his 
hand.  Himself  without  variableness  or  shadow  of 
turning,  he  maintains  the  irreversibleness  of  all  natu- 
ral forces,  one  of  which  is  the  insufferably  majestic 
law  by  which  character  tends  to  assume  final  perma- 
nence, good  as  well  as  bad. 

IY.  Under  irreversible  natural  law  there  may  ~be  in 
the  soul  a  permanent  failure  to  attain  a  predominant 
and  enduring  desire  to  be  holy. 

Go  to  India;  open  the  Bhagvat  Gheta,  a  Hindoo 
book  your  Emerson  greatly  reveres;  look  into  the 
subtlest  thought  of  the  Hindoo  philosophy  and  you 
will  find  these  two  searching  sentences,  which  are  all  I 
need  in  reply  to  any  criticisms  I  have  heard : 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        283 

1.  "Kepeated  sin  impairs  the  judgment." 

2.  "He  whose  judgment  is  impaired  sins  repeat- 
edly." * 

With  equal  scientific  clearness  Julius  Mliller  says : 
"  Such  is  the  constitution  of  things  that  unwillingness 
to  goodness  may  ripen  into  eternal  voluntary  opposi- 
tion to  it."  t  By  irreversible  natural  law  all  charac- 
ter tends  to  a  final  permanence,  good  or  bad.  In  the 
nature  of  things  a  final  permanence  can  come  but 
once. 

The  inveteracy  of  sin !  Have  you  ever  heard  of 
that?  Out  of  its  acknowledged  inveteracy  will  not 
easily  arise  its  evanescence.  Out  of  its  prolongation 
comes  its  inveteracy,  and  out  of  its  inveteracy  may 
come  its  permanence. 

Here  and  now  I  do  not  touch  the  topic  of  the  an- 
nihilation of  those  who  fall  into  permanent  dissimi- 
larity of  feeling  with  God,  for  I  do  not  see  that  this 
cause  produces  any  tendency  to  annihilation  in  this 
world,  when  a  man  becomes  incorrigibly  bad.  Vil- 
lains do  not  commonly  lack  force.  Your  Nero,  with 
his  murders  and  leprosies,  has  put  his  nature  out  of 
order;  but  look  at  his  evil  face,  in  marble,  on  the 
Capitoline  hill,  and  you  start  as  if  gazing  into  a  de- 
mon's eyes.  He  is  as  little  weak  as  a  volcano.  What 
do  men  mean  when  they  talk  of  vice  annihilating 

*  Prof.  Monier  Williams,  Indian  Wisdom,  Cambridge,  England,  1876. 
t  Doct.  of  Sin,  vol.  ii. 


284  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

souls  ?  It  disarranges  them,  but  disarrangement  is 
not  annihilation.  Tacitus  says  that  Nero  heard  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet  and  the  groans  from  the  grave 
of  his  mother,  Agrippina,  whom  he  had  murdered. 
His  disarrangement  was  not  derangement.  Acting 
fitfully,  all  the  wheels  of  the  faculties  continued  to 
exist  in  Nero,  and  they  are  none  of  them  without 
movement.  They  grind  on  each  other,  no  doubt,  but 
I  do  not  find  that  spiritual  wheels  can  be  pulverized. 
Do  you  know  how  they  can  be  ?  This  idea  that  evil 
is  to  annihilate  us  ought  to  have  some  distinct  scien- 
tific support  in  the  experience  of  this  life. 

In  the  Singalese  books  of  Gotama,  Buddha,  written 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Himalayas,  we  find  the  state- 
ment that  "as  surely  as  the  pebble  cast  heavenward 
abides  not  there,  but  returns  to  the  earth,  so,  pro- 
portionate to  thy  deed,  good  or  ill,  will  the  desire  of 
thy  heart  be  meted  out  to  thee,  in  whatever  form  or 
world  thou  shalt  enter."  It  was  the  opinion  of  Soc- 
rates, recorded  with  favor  by  Plato,  that  "  the  wicked 
would  be  too  well  off  if  their  evil  deeds  came  to  an 
end."  *  All  disloyalty  to  the  still  small  voice  which 
declares  what  ought  to  be,  is  followed  by  pain.  What 
if  it  were  not  f  Is  God  God,  if,  with  unscientific  liber- 
alism, we  in  our  philosophy  put  the  throne  of  the  uni- 
verse upon  rockers,  and  make  of  it  an  easy-chair  from 
which  lullabys  are  sung,  both  to  the  evil  and  to  the 
good? 

*  Jowett's  Plato,  Introduction  to  Phaedo. 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        285 

"  Whatever  we  do,  God  is  on  our  side."  So  say 
many  who  would  not  dare  to  affirm  that,  whatever 
we  do,  the  nature  of  things  is  on  our  side.  But  the 
nature  of  things  is  only  the  total  outcome  of  the  re- 
quirements of  the  perfections  of  the  divine  nature. 
God  is  behind  the  nature  of  things,  and  you  and  I 
cannot  trifle  with  him  any  more  than  with  it.  He 
was,  he  is,  he  is  to  come.  It  was,  it  is,  it  is  to  come. 
It  is  he. 

Great  literature  always  recognizes  the  law  of  moral 
gravitation.  Seeking  the  deepest  modern  words,  I 
open,  for  instance,  Thomas  Carlyle,  and  read : 

"  ( Penalties : '  Quarrel  not  with  the  old  phraseol- 
ogy, good  reader ;  attend  rather  to  the  thing  it  means. 
The  word  was  heard  of  old,  with  a  right  solemn  mean- 
ing attached  to  it,  from  theological  pulpits  and  such 
places;  and  may  still  be  heard  there,  with  a  half 
meaning,  or  with  no  meaning,  though  it  has  become 
rather  obsolete  to  modern  ears.  But  the  thing  should 
not  have  fallen  obsolete ;  the  thing  is  a  grand  and 
solemn  truth,  expressive  of  a  silent  law  of  Heaven, 
which  continues  forever  valid.  The  most  untheologi- 
cal  of  men  may  still  assert  the  thing ;  and  invite  all 
men  to  notice  it,  as  a  silent  monition  and  prophecy  in 
this  universe ;  to  take  it,  with  more  of  awe  than  they 
are  wont,  as  a  correct  reading  of  the  will  of  the  Eter- 
nal in  respect  of  such  matters,  and  in  their  modern 
sphere,  to  bear  the  same  well  in  mind. 


286  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

"The  want  of  loyalty  to  the  Maker  of  this  universe 
—  he  who  wants  that,  what  else  has  he  or  can  he 
have  ?  If  you  do  not,  you  man  or  you  nation,  love 
the  truth  enough,  but  try  to  make  a  chapman-bargain 
with  truth,  instead  of  giving  yourself  wholly,  soul  and 
body  and  life,  to  her,  truth  will  not  live  with  you, 
truth  will  depart  from  you ;  and  only  logic,  '  wit '  (for 
example,  ' London  Wit'),  sophistry,  virtu,  the  aesthetic 
arts,  and  perhaps  (for  a  short  while)  bookkeeping  by 
double  entry,  will  abide  with  you.  You  will  follow 
falsity,  and  think  it  truth,  you  unfortunate  man  or 
nation.  You  will,  right  surely,  you  for  one,  stumble 
to  the  devil;  and  are  every  day  and  hour,  little  as 
you  imagine  it,  making  progress  thither." 

This  majestic  key-note  of  scientific,  ethical  truth  is 
the  deep  tone  that  leads  the  anthem  of  all  great 
thought  since  the  world  began.  Open  now  Theodore 
Parker,  and  how  harshly  his  words  clash  with  Car- 
lyle's :  "  The  infinite  perfection  of  God  is  the  corner- 
stone of  all  my  theological  and  religious  teaching ;  the 
foundation,  perhaps,  of  all  that  is  peculiar  in  my  sys- 
tem. It  is  not  known  to  the  Old  Testament  or  the 
New ;  it  has  never  been  accepted  by  any  sect  in  the 
Christian  world.  The  idea  of  God's  imperfection  has 
been  carried  out  with  dreadful  logic  in  the  Christian 
scheme.  In  the  ecclesiastical  conception  of  the  Deity 
there  is  a  fourth  person  in  the  Godhead, — namely,  the 

*  Carlyle,  Frederick  the  Great,  vol.  i.,  pp.  270,  271. 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        287 

Devil,  —  an  outlying  member,  unacknowledged,  in- 
deed, the  complex  of  all  evil,  but  as  much  a  part  of 
Deity  as  either  Son  or  Holy  Ghost,  and  far  more  pow- 
erful than  all  the  rest,  wrho  seem  but  jackals  to  pro- 
vide for  this  roaring  lion."  * 

What  is  in  the  lines  here  in  Parker  is  not  so  painful 
as  what  is  between  the  lines.  "  God  is  a  perfect  crea- 
tor," writes  Parker,  "making  all  from  a  perfect  mo- 
tive, for  a  perfect  purpose.  The  motive  must  be  love ; 
the  purpose  welfare.  The  perfect  creator  is  a  perfect 
providence ;  love  becoming  a  universe  of  perfect  wel- 
fare."! 

"Optimism  is  the  religion  of  science."  "Every 
fall  is  a  fall  upwards."  ^ 

One  feels  in  reading  Theodore  Parker,  that  what- 
ever we  do  God  is  on  our  side.  Carlyle  is  of  a  very 
different  opinion,  and  is  moved  by  no  faith  deeper 
than  that  the  distinction  between  duty  and  its  oppo- 
site is  "  quite  infinite."  Place  side  by  side  this  free- 
thinker, Carlyle,  and  that  free-thinker,  Parker,  and 
ask  which  is  the  truer  of  the  two  to  the  deep  intui- 
tions of  the  soul  ?  Contrast  the  seriousness  of  Buddha 
and  the  tone  of  this  man  of  Massachusetts  Bay! 
Compare  Socrates  and  Plato  under  the  shade  of  the 
Acropolis  with  this  modern  man  under  the  shade  of 
what  ?  Of  a  stunted  mental  philosophy ;  rooted  well, 

*  Weiss,  Life  of  Parker,  vol.  i. ,  p.  470. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  471.      }  Theism,  pp.  408-417. 


288  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

indeed,  in  our  soil  at  his  time,  but  only  a  very  imper- 
fect growth  as  yet ;  and  hardly  risen  above  the  ground 
when  the  attempt  was  made  here  to  deny  the  exist- 
ence of  sin  and  of  its  natural  wages  in  the  universe  in 
the  name  of  an  intuitive  philosophy,  which  asserts 
precisely  the  opposite  in  both  cases. 

The  self-propagating  power  of  habit,  acting  in  the 
sphere  of  the  holy  affections,  places  the  nature  of 
things  on  the  side  of  righteousness. 

The  same  self-propagating  power  of  habit,  acting  in 
the  sphere  of  evil  affections,  arranges  the  nature  of 
things  against  evil. 

Good  has  but  one  enemy,  the  evil ;  but  the  evil  has 
two  enemies,  the  good  and  itself.* 

Judicial  blindness  increases  the  self- propagating 
power  of  evil;  remunerative  vision  increases  the  self- 
propagating  power  of  holiness. 

"Every  man,"  says  the  Spanish  proverb,  "is  the 
son  of  his  own  deeds."  "Every  action,"  says  Eich- 
ter,  "  becomes  more  certainly  an  eternal  mother  than 
it  is  an  eternal  daughter."  t  These  are  the  irreversi- 
ble laws  according  to  which  all  character  tends  to 
final  permanence,  good  or  bad. 

V.  Under  irreversible  natural  law  there  may  exist 
in  the  universe  eternal  sin. 

It  is  not  my  duty  here,  as  it  is  on  the  Sabbaths,  to 

*  See  Julius  Miiller,  Doctrine  of  Sin,  vol.  ii. 
t  Titan,  vol.  i.,  cycle  105. 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.       289 

expound  the  scriptures,  but  you  will  allow  me  to  say 
that  "  eternal  sin  "  is  a  scriptural  phrase.  As  all  these 
scholars  know,  we  must  read  in  the  twenty-ninth  verse 
of  the  third  chapter  of  Mark,  hamartematos,  and  not 
kriseos.  He  who  sinneth  against  the  Holy  Ghost  is  in 
danger  of  "  eternal  sin." 

Theodore  Parker  used  to  say  that  the  profoundest 
expressions  in  the  New  Testament  are  those  which  are 
most  likely  to  have  been  correctly  reported.  What 
phrase  on  this  theme  is  profounder  than  "eternal 
sin  ?"  Dean  Alford  well  says  that  "it  is  to  the  criti- 
cal treatment  of  the  sacred  text  that  we  owe  the 
restoration  of  such  important  and  deep-reaching  ex- 
pressions as  this."  Lange  calls  it  "a  strong  and  preg- 
nant expression." 

It  is  not  the  best  way  in  which  to  teach  the  truth 
of  future  punishment  to  say  that  a  man  is  punished 
forever  and  forever  for  the  sins  of  that  hand's  breadth 
of  duration  we  call  time.  If  the  soul  does  not  repent 
of  these  with  contrition,  and  not  merely  with  attrition, 
the  nature  of  things  forbids  its  peace.  But  the  Bibli- 
cal and  the  natural  truth  is,  that  prolonged  dissimi- 
larity of  feeling  with  God  may  end  in  eternal  sin.  If 
there  is  eternal  sin,  there  will  be  eternal  punishment. 
Final  permanence  of  character,  under  the  laws  of  judi- 
cial blindness  and  the  self-propagating  power  of  sin, 
is  the  truth  emphasized  by  both  God's  word  and  his 

works. 

s 


290  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

VI.  While  sin  continues,  God  cannot  forgive  it  with- 
out making  the  sinner  worse. 

In  this  city,  six  thousand  people  were  told  the 
other  evening,  with  great  depth  of  thought,  that  if  a 
child  deliberately  lies,  and  you  forgive  the  child, 
before  he  has  exhibited  any  sorrow  for  the  act,  you 
make  the  child  worse.  That  is,  indeed,  a  very  simple 
instance  of  the  moral  law,  but  in  scientific  minds  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  moral  law  is  equally  universal 
with  the  physical.  If  you  will  measure  a  little  arc  of 
the  physical  law,  you  can  measure  the  whole  circle. 

If  I  were  to  take  a  flight  into  space,  I  should  not  run 
beyond  the  knowledge  that  I  have  acquired  here  of 
the  law  of  gravitation.  That  law  is  one  in  all  worlds, 
so  far  as  science  knows.  So,  too,  if  I  understand  the 
properties  of  light  here,  I  understand  them  in  Orion 
and  the  Pleiades.  A  good  terrestrial  texirbook  on  light 
or  gravitation  would  be  of  service  in  the  North  Star. 
The  universality  and  the  unity  of  law  make  our  earth, 
although  but  an  atom,  immensity  itself  in  its  revela- 
tions of  truth.*  Now,  if  I  know  that  a  man  has  delib- 
erately lied  to  me,  I  cannot  here  under  the  moral  law 
forgive  him  before  he  repents  without  making  him 
worse.  If  I  know  that,  then  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  God  cannot,  in  the  nature  of  things,  forgive  a  free 
agent  that  has  incurred  personal  demerit  by  the  choice 

*  See  Dana,  Geology,  chap.  I. 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        291 

of  wrong  motives,  till  he  has  repented,  without  mak- 
ing that  agent  worse.  The  nature  of  things,  gentle- 
men, it  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever. 

Here  is  a  Boston  sonnet,  entitled  "A  Far  Shore," 
and  it  asserts  the  universality  of  the  moral  law,  as  well 
as  of  the  physical  and  the  organic,  and  so  it  applies 
not  only  to  Greece  and  Italy  and  the  shadow  of  the 
Pyramids,  but  also  to  that  undiscovered  country  from 
whose  bourne  no  traveler  returns : 


On  a  far  shore  my  land  swam  far  from  sight, 

But  I  could  see  familiar  native  stars ; 

My  home  was  shut  from  me  by  ocean  bars, 
Yet  home  hung  there  above  me  in  the  night; 
Unchanged  fell  down  on  me  Orion's  light; 

As  always,  Venus  rose,  and  fiery  Mars ; 

My  own  the  Pleiads  yet,  and  without  jars, 
In  wonted  tones  sang  all  the  heavenly  height. 
So  when  in  death  from  underneath  my  feet 

Rolls  the  round  world,  I  then  shall  see  the  sky 

Of  God's  truths  burning  yet  familiarly; 
My  native  constellations  I  shall  greet ; 

I  lose  the  outer,  not  the  inner  eye, 

The  landscape,  not  the  soul's  stars,  when  I  die. 


God  cannot  give  the  wicked  two  chances  without 
subjecting  the  good  to  two  risks. 

Self-evident  truth  shows  that  man  is  free. 

Self-evident  truth  proves  that  man  may  attain  a 
final  permanence  of  character,  good  or  bad,  and  in 
that  state  not  lose  freedom  of  will. 

This  may  occur  in  the  best  possible  universe,  in 
which  all  things  will  of  course  work  together  for  good 


292  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

to  the  good,  and,  therefore,  of  necessity,  for  evil  to 
the  evil. 

In  the  heavens  of  the  soul  there  ride  unquenchable 
constellations,  which  assert  that  we  alone  are  to  blame 
if  we  do  what  conscience  says  we  ought  not  to  do. 
We  are  just  as  sure  of  the  fact  that  we  and  only  we 
are  to  blame  when  we  do  what  conscience  pronounces 
wrong,  as  we  are  of  our  own  existence.  Our  demerit 
is  a  self-evident  fact.  All 'men  take  such  guilt  for 
granted.  We  know  that  we  are  responsible  as  surely 
as  we  all  know  that  we  have  the  power  of  choice. 
We  know  both  facts  from  intuition.  Our  existence 
we  know  only  by  intuition,  and  by  that  same  axiomatic 
evidence  we  know  our  freedom.  How  does  sin  origi- 
nate in  us  ?  By  a  bad  free  choice.  Just  so  it  originated 
in  the  universe.  But  God  brought  us  into  existence. 
Yes ;  and  he  maintains  us  in  existence.  Yery  well ; 
but  the  axioms  of  self-evident  truth  prove  that  he  has 
given  to  us  free  will.  The  ocean  floats  the  piratical 
vessels ;  the  sea  breeze  fills  the  sails  of  the  pirate ; 
but  neither  the  ocean  nor  the  sea  breeze  is  to  blame 
for  piracies. 

VII.  Under  irreversible  natural  law  there  can  be  no 
blessedness  without  holiness. 

Here  I  leave  you,  face  to  face  with  the  nature  of 
things,  the  authority  which  dazzled  Socrates.  God's 
omnipotence  cannot  force  blessedness  on  a  soul  that 


Final  Permanence  of  Moral  Character.        293 

has  lost  the  predominant  desire  to  be  holy.  Omnis- 
cience cannot  make  happy  a  man  who  loves  what  God 
hates  and  hates  what  God  loves.  If  you  fall  into  pre- 
dominant dissimilarity  of  feeling  with  God,  it  is  out  of 
his  power  to  give  you  blessedness.  Undoubtedly  we 
are,  of  all  men,  most  miserable,  unless  with  our  deliv- 
erance from  the  guilt  of  sin  there  comes  to  us  also 
deliverance  from  the  love  of  it.  Without  holiness 
there  can  be  no  blessedness,  but  there  can  be  no  holi- 
ness without  a  predominant  love  of  what  God  loves 
and  hate  of  what  God  hates.  We  grow  wrong;  we 
allow  ourselves  to  crystallize  in  habits  that  imply  a 
loss  of  a  desire  to  be  holy;  and,  at  last,  having  made 
up  our  minds  not  to  love  predominantly  what  God 
loves,  and  hate  what  he  hates,  we  are  amazed  that  we 
have  not  blessedness.  But  the  universe  is  not  amazed. 
The  nature  of  things  is  but  another  name  for  the 
divine  nature.  God  would  not  be  God  if  there  could 
be  blessedness  without  holiness. 

Mrs.  Browning,  whom  England  loves  to  call  Shake- 
spere's  daughter,  and  who  is,  in  many  respects,  the 
deepest  interpreter  of  the  modern  cultivated  heart  and 
head,  rests  in  God's  goodness. 

Oh,  the  little  birds  sang  east;  the  little  birds  sang  west! 
And  I  said  in  underbreath :  All  our  life  is  mixed  with  death, 
And  who  knoweth  which  is  best? 

Oh,  the  little  birds  sang  east;  the  little  birds  sang  west! 

And  I  smiled  to  think  God's  greatness  flows  around  our  incompleteness; 

Round  our  restlessness  his  rest. 


294  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

Had  die  paused  there  she  would  not  have  been  the 
prophetess  of  science,  as  she  is,  for,  without  resting  in 
an  unscientific  liberalism,  she  says  also : 


Let  star-wheels  and  angel-wings,  with  their  holy  winnowings, 
Keep  beside  you  all  your  way, 

Lest  in  passion  you  should  dash,  with  a  blind  and  heavy  crash, 
Up  against  the  thick-bossed  shield  of  God's  judgment  in  the  field. 

[Rime  of  the  Duchess  May. 


THE  PROMINENCE  OF  THE  ATONEMENT. 

BY 

PROF.  EDWARDS  A.  PARK,  D.D. 


s* 


THE  PKOIINENCE  OF  THE  ATONEMENT, 


BY  EDWAEDS  A.   PARK,  D.  D. 


For  I  determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ, 
and  him  crucified.  —  1  Corinthians,  ii.  2. 

SHOULD  the  apostle  who  penned  this  eloquent  ex- 
pression resume  his  ministry  on  earth,  and  should  he 
deign  to  hold  converse  with  us  on  the  principles  of  his 
high  calling,  and  should  he  repeat  his  strong  words,  — 
I  am  now,  as  of  old,  determined  not  to  know  anything 
among  you  save  J6sus  Christ,  and  him  crucified,  —  some 
of  us  would  feel  an  impulse  to  ask  him : 

"  Can  your  words  mean  what  they  appear  to  imply  ? 
You  are  learned  in  Kabbinical  literature;  you  have 
read  the  Grecian  poets,  and  even  quoted  from  Aratus ; 
you  have  examined  the  statuary  of  Greece,  and  have 
made  a  permanent  record  of  an  inscription  upon  an 
altar  in  ancient  Athens ;  you  have  reasoned  on  the 
principles  of  Aristotle  from  effect  to  cause,  and  have 
taken  rank  with  the  philosophers,  as  well  as  orators  of 
the  world ;  and  now,  you  seem  to  utter  your  determina- 
tion to  abandon  all  knowledge  save  that  which  con- 
cerns the  Jew  who  was  crucified.  You  once  said  that 

299 


300  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

you  had  rather  speak  five  words  with  the  understand- 
ing, than  ten  thousand  words  in  an  unknown  tongue ; 
and  here,  lest  the  pithy  language  of  this  text  should 
fail  of  being  truly  apprehended,  we  desire  to  learn  its 
precise  meaning  in  three  particulars  : 

"  In  the  first  place,  do  you  intend  to  assert  that  our 
knowledge  is  controlled  by  our  will?  You  determined 
not  to  know  anything  save  one?  Can  you  by  mere 
choice  expel  all  but  one  of  your  old  ideas,  and  make 
your  mind  like  a  chart  of  white  paper  in  reference  to 
the  vast  majority  of  your  familiar  subjects  of  thought  ?  " 

<I  am  ready  to  concede/  is  the  reply,  'that  much 
of  our  knowledge  .is  involuntary;  still  a  part  of  it  is 
dependent  oji  our  will.  In  some  degree,  at  some 
times,  we  may  attend  to  a  theme  or  not  attend  to  it, 
as  we  choose,  and  thus  our  choice  may  influence  our 
belief,  and  thus  are  we  responsible,  in  a  certain  meas- 
ure, for  our  knowledge.  Besides,  the  word  "know" 
is  used  by  us  Hebraistic  writers  to  include  not  only  a 
mental  apprehension,  but  also  a  moral  feeling.  When 
we  know  Christ,  we  feel  a  hearty  complacence  in  him. 
Again,  to  "  know  "  often  signifies  to  manifest,  as  well 
as  to  possess,  both  knowledge  and  love.  We  do  not 
know  an  old  acquaintance  when  we  of  set  purpose 
withhold  all  public  recognition  of  him,  and  act  out- 
wardly as  if  we  were  inwardly  ignorant  of  his  being. 
But  I,  Paul,  say  to  you,  as  I  said  to  the  Corinthians, 
that  I  shall  make  the  atonement  of  Christ,  and  nothing 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  301 

but  the  atonement  of  Christ,  the  main  theme  of  my 
regard,  of  my  loving  regard,  and  such  loving  regard 

as  is  openly  avowed.' 

• 

Thus  our  first  query  is  answered;  but  there  is  a 
second  inquiry  which  some  of  us  would  propose  to  the 
apostle,  were  he  uttering  to  us  personally  the  words 
which  he  wrote  to  the  Corinthians.  It  is  this : 

"  Should  a  Christian  minister  out  of  the  pulpit,  as 
well  as  in  the  pulpit,  know  nothing  save  the  crucified 
one  ?  Did  you  not  know  how  to  sustain  yourself  by 
the  manufacture  of  tents;  and  did  you  not  say  to 
the  circle  of  elders  at  Ephesus, —  These  hands  have 
ministered  to  my  necessities  ?  Did  you  not  dispute 
with  the  Roman  sergeants — plead  your  cause  before 
the  Roman  courts  ?  Must  not  every  minister  cease 
for  a  time  to  converse  on  the  work  of  Jesus ;  and  must 
he  not  think  of  providing  for  his  own  household,  lest 
he  become  worse  than  an  infidel  ?  " 

'I  am  willing  to  admit,'  is  the  reply,  'that  the 
pulpit  is  the  place  where  the  minister  should  speak  of 
Christ  with  more  uniform  distinctness  than  in  other 
places;  but  there  are  no  places,  and  no  times,  in 
which  he  should  fail  to  manifest,  more  or  less  obvi- 
ously, his  interest  in  his  Redeemer.  Wherever  he 
goes,  he  has  a  pulpit.  Whether  he  eat,  or  drink,  or 
whatever  he  do,  he  must  do  all  for  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  highest  glory  of  God  is  Christ,  and  the  highest 


302  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

honor  of  Christ  is  in  him  crucified.  A  minister  must 
always  respect  the  proprieties  of  life ;  in  honoring 
them  he  knows  that  appropriate  model  man,  who,  ris- 
ing from  the  tomb,  wrapped  up  the  napkin  that  was 
about  his  head,  and  laid  it  in  a  place  by  itself.  Now 
the  proprieties  of  life  do  require  a  minister  to  speak 
in  the  pulpit  on  themes  more  plainly  and  more  easily 
connected  with  the  atonement,  than  are  various 
themes  on  which  he  must  speak  in  the  market-place 
or  in  the  schools.  But  all  subjects  on  which  he  may 
discourse  do  lead,  sooner  or  later,  more  or  less  obvi- 
ously and  easily,  to  the  great  work  of  Jesus ;  and  he 
should  converse  on  them  with  the  intent  of  seizing 
every  hint  they  give  him,  following  out  every  line  to 
which  they  point  him,  in  the  direction  of  the  cross.  I 
have  been  in  many  synagogues,  and  in  the  temple, 
and  on  Mars'  Hill,  and  on  a  Mediterranean  ship-deck ; 
and  once  was  I  hurried  along  in  a  night-ride  from 
Jerusalem  to  Csesarea  with  four  hundred  and  seventy 
soldiers,  horsemen  and  spearmen.  I  have  resided  at 
leisure  with  my  arm  chained  to  a  Roman  guard  in  a 
prison  at  the  Capital  of  the  Eoman  Empire ;  but  in  all 
such  places  I  have  felt,  and  everywhere  I  do  feel, 
bound  to  speak  out,  and  to  act  out,  all  the  interest 
which  the  fitnesses  of  the  occasion  admit,  in  the  atone- 
ment of  Jesus;  and  not  to  manifest,  and  not  to  feel, 
any  interest  in  any  theme  which  may  lessen  my  re- 
gard for  this — the  chief est  among  ten  thousand ! ' 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  303 

But  there  is  a  third  question  which  some  of  us 
would  propose  to  the  apostle,  were  he  to  speak  in  our 
hearing  the  words  of  the  text : 

"Should  every  man,  as  well  as  every  minister, 
cherish  and  exhibit  no  interest  in  anything  but  Christ  ? 
Should  a  sailor  at  the  mast-head,  a  surgeon  in  the  ex- 
tirpation of  the  clavicle,  a  warrior  in  the  critical  mo- 
ment of  the  last  charge,  look  at  nothing,  and  hear  of 
nothing,  but  the  cross  ?  Must  not  every  one  conduct 
businesses,  and  sustain  cares,  which  draw  his  mind 
away  from  the  atonement  ?  " 

<I  am  ready  to  grant/  is  the  reply,  'that  some 
duties  are  less  plainly  and  less  intimately  connected 
than  others  with  the  work  of  Jesus ;  but  all  of  them 
are  connected  with  it  in  some  degree,  and  this  con- 
nection may  be  seen  by  all  who  choose-  to  gain  the 
fitting  insight.  The  great  principle  of  duty  belong- 
ing to  the  minister  in  the  pulpit,  belongs  to  him  every- 
where ;  and  the  great  principle  of  duty  belonging  to 
the  minister,  belongs  to  every  man,  woman,  and  child. 
There  is  not  one  religion  for  the  man  when  he  is  in 
the  temple,  and  another  religion  for  the  man  when  he 
is  in  the  parlor  or  in  the  street.  There  is  not  one  law 
for  the  ordained  pastor,  and  another  law  for  the  trades- 
man or  the  mechanic.  The  same  law  and  no  different 
one,  the  same  religion  and  no  different  one,  are  the 
law  and  the  religion  for  apostles,  and  publicans,  and 
prophets,  and  taxgatherers,  and  patriarchs,  and  chil- 


304  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

dren,  and  nobles,  and  beggars.  Every  man  is  bidden 
to  refuse  everything,  if  it  be  the  nearest  friend,  who 
interferes  with  the  claims  of  the  Messiah ;  and  there- 
fore every  man,  layman  as  well  as  clergyman,  must 
keep  his  eye  fixed  primarily  upon  the  cross.  He  may 
see  other  things  within  the  range  of  that  cross,  but 
he  must  keep  the  cross  directly  at  the  angle  of  his 
vision,  and  allow  nothing  else,  when  placed  side  by 
side  with  the  tree  on  Calvary,  to  allure  his  eye  away 
from  that  central,  engrossing  object/ 

Here,  then,  is  our  third  question  answered ;  and  in 
these  three  replies  to  these  three  queries,  we  perceive 
the  meaning  of  our  text  to  be :  that  not  on  the  first 
day  only,  but  on  every  day  likewise,  not  in  the  reli- 
gious assembly  only,  but  in  all  assemblies,  and  in  all 
solitudes  likewise,  not  the  preacher  only,  but  the  hearer 
likewise,  —  every  man  must  adopt  the  rule,  to  give  his 
voluntary,  his  loving,  his  secret  and  open  regard  to 
nothing  so  much  as  to  the  character  and  work  of  his 
Eedeemer. 

Having  inquired  into  the  meaning  of  the  apostle's 
words,  let  us  proceed,  in  the  next  place,  to  inquire  into 
the  importance  of  making  the  atonement  of  Christ  the 
only  great  object  of  our  thought,  speech,  and  action. 

And  here,  did  we  hold  a  personal  interview  with 
the  author  of  our  text,  we  should  be  prompted  to  put 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  305 

three  additional  queries  before  him.  Our  first  inquiry 
would  be : 

"  Is  not  your  theme  too  contracted  ?  It  is  well  to 
know  Christ,  but  in  all  the  varying  scenes  of  life  is  it 
well  not  to  know  anything  else.  Will  not  the  pulpit 
become  wearisome  if,  spring  and  autumn,  summer  and 
winter,  it  confine  itself  to  a  single  topic  ?  We  have 
known  men  preach  themselves  out  by  incessant  repe- 
titions of  the  scene  at  Calvary,  —  a  scene  thrilling  in 
itself,  and  on  that  very  account  not  bearing  to  be  pre- 
sented in  its  details,  every  Sabbath  day.  How  much 
less  will  the  varying  sensibilities  of  the  soul  endure 
the  reiteration  of  this  tragic  tale  every  day  and  at 
every  interview !  Such  extreme  familiarity  induces 
irreverence.  The  Bible  is  not  confined  to  this  theme. 
It  is  rich  in  ecclesiastical  history,  political  history, 
ethical  rules,  metaphysical  discussion,  comprehensive 
theology.  It  contains  one  book  of  ten  chapters  which 
has  not  a  single  allusion  to  God,  and  several  books 
which  do  not  mention  Christ ;  why  then  do  you  shut 
us  up  to  a  doctrine  which  will  circumscribe  the  mind 
of  good  men,  and  result  in  making  their  conversation 
insipid?" 

6  Contracted  ! '  —  this  is  the  reply,  — '  and  do  you 
consider  this  topic  a  limited  one,  whose  height,  depth, 
length,  breadth,  no  finite  mind  can  measure  ?  Of 
what  would  you  speak  ? ' 

"We  would  speak  of  the  divine  existence." 


306  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

<  But  Christ  is  the  " I  am."  ' 

"  We  would  speak  of  the  diyine  attributes." 

<  But  Christ  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega ;  he  searcheth 
the  reins  and  trieth  the  hearts  of  men;  he  is  the  same 
yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever;  full  of  grace  and  truth ; 
to  him  belong  wisdom  and  power  and  glory  and  honor ; 
of  his  dominion  is  no  end.     Of  what,  then,  would  you 
speak  ? ' 

"  We  would  speak  of  the  divine  sovereignty." 
'  But  Christ  taught  us  to  say :  Even  so,  Father,  for 
so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight — and  he  and  his  Father 


are  one.' 


"  We  would  converse  on  the  divine  decrees." 

'  But  all  things  are  planned  for  his  praise  who  was 

in  Christ,  and  in  whom  Christ  was  at  the  beginning.' 
"We  would  discourse  on  electing. love." 
6  But  the  saints  are  elect  in  Christ  Jesus.' 
"We  would  utter  many  words  on  the  creation  of 

men  and  angels." 

'  Now  by  our  Kedeemer  were  all  things  created  that 

are  in  heaven  and  that  are  in  the  earth,  visible  and  in- 
visible." 

"We  would  converse  on  the  preservation  of  what 

has  been  created." 

6  Now  Christ  upholdeth  all  things  by  the  word  of  his 

power.    What  would  you  have,  then,  for  your  theme  ? ' 
"We  would  take  the  flowers  of  the  field  for  our 

theme." 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  307 

6  But  they  are  the  delight,  as  well  as  the  contrivance 
of  the  Bedeemer.' 

"We  would  take  for  our  theme  the  globes  in  space." 
'  But  they  are  the  work  of  his  fingers/ 
66  Then  we  would  take  the  very  winds  of  heaven  for 
our  theme,  lawless  and  erratic  as  they  are." 

'But  Jesus  taught  us  to  comment  upon  these  as  an 
illustration  of  his  truth.  His  poetic  mind  gave  us  the 
conception  that  the  wind  bloweth  where  it  chooseth  to 
blow ;  and  we  look  on,  wondering  whence  it  cometh, 
and  whither  it  goeth,  knowing  only  that  it  is  the 
breath  of  the  Wonderful  Counsellor,  who  arouseth  it 
as  he  listeth,  or  saith,  Peace,  be  still.  What  else,  then, 
do  you  prefer  for  your  topic  of  conversation  ? ' 
"  We  prefer  the  laws  of  nature  for  our  topic." 
6  But  in  them  the  Father  worketh  and  Christ  work- 
eth  equally.' 

"  If  it  be  so,  we  will  select  the  fine  and  useful  arts 
for  our  subject." 

'  But  all  the  materials  of  these  arts,  and  all  the  laws 
which  compact  them,  and  all  the  ingenuity  which  ar- 
ranges them  are  of  his  architectonic  plan.  He  is  the 
guide  of  the  sculptor,  painter,  musician,  poet.  He  is 
the  contriver  of  all  the  graces  which  we  in  our  idolatry 
ascribe  to  the  human  discoverer,  as  if  man  had  origi- 
nally invented  them.  The  history  of  the  arts  is  the 
history  of  Christ's  government  on  earth.  Will  you 
propose,  then,  some  other  theme  for  your  remark  ? ' 


308  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

"  Do  let  us  converse  on  the  moral  law." 
' You  may;  but  Christ  gave  this  law  and  came  to 
magnify  it.' 

"  Then  let  us  comment  on  the  ceremonial  law." 
6  You  may ;  but  all  its  types  are  prophecies  of  Jesus/ 
"  Then  we  will  expatiate  on  virtue  in  the  general." 
6  Do  so ;  but  Christ  is  the  first  exemplar,  the  bright- 
est representative  of  all  abstract  goodness,  of  all  your 
virtue  in  the  general/ 

"  Then  we  will  take  up  ethical  maxims." 
'  Take  them  up ;  but  they  are  embodied  in  him  who 
is  the  way,  the  truth,  the  life.' 

"  We  will  resort,  then,  to  human  responsibility  for 
our  subject  of  discourse." 

6  But  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat 
of  that  fair-minded  arbiter  who  is  man  as  well  as  God/ 
"  May  we  not  speak  of  eternal  blessedness  ?  " 
' Yes;    but  it  is  Christ  who  welcomes  his  chosen 
into  life.' 

"  Shall  we  not  converse,  then,  on  endless  misery  ?  " 
'Yes;  but  it  is  Christ  who  will  proclaim:  Depart, 
ye  cursed/ 

"The  human  body; — we  would  utter  some  words 
on  that." 

'  But  your  present  body  is  the  image  of  what  your 
Lord  wore  once,  and  the  body  that  you  will  have,  if 
you  die  in  the  faith,  is  the  image  of  what  your  Lord 
wears  now ;  —  the  image  of  the  body  slain  for  our 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  309 

offenses  and  raised  again  for  our  justification.  —  And 
have  you  still  a  favorite  theme  which  you  have  not 
suggested  ? ' 

"  The  pleasures  of  life  are  our  favorite  theme." 

'  Yes,  and  Jesus  provided  them  and  graced  them  at 
Cana.' 

"  The  duties  of  the  household  are  our  favorite 
theme." 

'Yes,  and  Jesus  has  prescribed  them  and  disci- 
plines you  by  them,  and  will  judge  you  for  your  man- 
ner of  regarding  them. — What  would  you  have,  then, 
what  can  you  think  of  for  your  choice  topic  of  dis- 
course ? ' 

"  We  love  to  talk  of  our  brethren  in  the  faith." 

6  But  they  are  indices  of  Christ,  and  he  is  repre- 
sented by  them.' 

"  We  choose  to  converse  on  our  Redeemer's  indi- 
gent, imprisoned,  diseased,  agonized  followers." 

'And  he  is  an  hungered,  athirst,  penniless,  afflicted 
in  them,  and  whatsoever  we  do  to  one  of  them  we 
do  to  him,  and  what  we  say  of  one  of  them  we  say  of 
him/ 

66  May  we  speak  in  the  pulpit  of  slaves  ?  " 

'  Of  slaves !  Can  you  not  speak  of  Medes  and  Par- 
thians,  Indians  and  Arabians  ?  Why  not  then  of  Afri- 
cans ?  Have  they,  or  have  they  not,  immortal  souls  ? 
Was  Jesus,  or  was  he  not,  crucified  for  them  ?  Was  he 
ashamed  of  the  lowly  and  the  down-trodden,  and  those 


310  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

who  have  become  the  reproach  of  men  and  the  de- 
spised of  the  people  ?  You  may  speak  of  all  for  whom 
Christ  died ;  as  all  men,  bond  or  free,  and  all  things, 
globes  or  atoms,  suggest  thoughts  leading  in  a  right 
line  or  in  a  curved  line  to  the  cross  of  Christ.  All 
things,  being  thus  nearly  or  remotely  suggestive  of 
the  atonement,  are  for  your  sakes ;  whether  Paul  or 
Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  the  world,  or  life,  or  death,  or 
things  present,  or  things  to  come,  —  all  are  yours,  for 
your  thoughts,  for  your  words.  If  things  pertain  to 
the  divine  essence,  the  whole  of  that  is  the  essence  of 
Jesus ;  if  they  pertain  to  the  divine  relations,  all  of 
them  are  the  relations  of  Jesus ;  if  they  pertain  to  the 
noblest  and  brightest  features  of  seraphs,  all  the  angels 
of  God  bow  down  before  Jesus ;  if  they  pertain  to  the 
minutest  changes  of  human  life,  in  all  our  vicissitudes 
Jesus  keeps  up  his  brotherhood  with  us ;  if  they  per^ 
tain  to  the  vilest  and  darkest  spot  of  our  depravity, 
they  pertain  to  Jesus, — for  to  speak  aright  of  sin  is 
to  be  determined  to  speak  of  Christ  and  of  him  cruci- 
fied for  sin. 

'And  is  this  the  doctrine  which  men  call  a  con- 
tracted one  ?  Narrow  !  The  very  suspicion  of  its 
being  narrow  has  now  suggested  the  first  reason  why 
you  should  place  it  and  keep  it  as  the  crown  of  all 
your  words  and  deeds: — it  is  so  large,  so  rich,  so 
boundless,  that  you  need  nothing  which  excludes  it. 
And  therefore/  continues  the  Apostle,  'I  mean  to 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  311 

know  and  to  love  nothing,  and  to  make  it  manifest 
that  I  care  for  nothing,  in  comparison  with,  and  dis- 
connected from,  the  God-man,  as  he  develops  all  his 
attributes  and  all  his  relations  on  the  cross.' 

But  were  the  author  of  these  laconic  words  in  a 
familiar  conference  with  us,  we  might  be  tempted  to 
address  to  him  a  second  inquiry : 

"  Is  not  your  theme  too  large  ?  At  first  we  deemed 
it  too  small,  but  now  it  swells  out  before  us  into  such 
colossal  dimensions  that  we  change  our  ground,  and 
ask :  Can  the  narrow  mind  of  man  take  in  this  multi- 
plicity of  relations,  comprehended  in  both  the  natures, 
and  in  the  redemptive,  as  well  as  all  the  other  works 
of  Christ  ?  Do  not  our  frail  powers  need  one  day  as 
a  day  of  rest,  and  one  place  as  a  sanctuary  of  repose, 
from  every  thought  less  tender  than  that  of  the  aton- 
ing death  itself  ?  Must  we  not  call  in  our  minds  from 
Christ  and  him  crucified,  so  as  to  concentrate  all  our 
emotions  on  the  simple  fact  of  Christ  crucified  ?" 

'Too  large  a  theme!'  —  this  is  the  reply,  —  'it  is  a 
large  theme,  too  large  to  be  fully  comprehended  by 
finite  intelligences.  Men  have  dreamed  of  exhausting 
the  atonement  by  defining  it  to  be  a  plan  for  removing 
the  obstacles  which  stand  in  the  way  of  our  pardon. 
It  is  too  large  for  that  definition,  as  the  atonement 
also  persuades  the  Most  High  to  forgive  us.  Then 
men  have  thought  to  mark  it  round  about  by  saying 


312  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

that  it  is  a  scheme  for  inducing  God  to  interpose  in 
our  aid.  But  the  atonement  is  too  large  for  that 
defining  clause,  as  it  also  presents  motives  to  man  for 
accepting  the  interposition  of  God.  Then  some  have 
thought  to  define  it  exactly,  by  saying  that  the  atone- 
ment is  both  an  appeal  to  the  Law-giver  and  also  an 
appeal  to  the  sinner.  Too  large  still  is  the  atonement 
for  that  explanation.  It  is  an  appeal  to  both  God  and 
man,  but  it  is  more.  It  is  an  appeal  to  the  universe, 
and  is  as  many-sided  as  the  universe  itself  is  to  be 
variously  affected.  Can  we  by  searching  find  out  the 
whole  of  atoning  love  ?  It  is  the  love  of  him  who 
stretched  out  his  arms  on  the  fatal  wood,  and  pointed 
to  the  right  hand  and  to  the  left  hand,  and  raised  his 
eyes  upward,  and  cast  them  downward ;  and  thus  all 
things  above  and  below,  and  on  either  side,  he  embraced 
in  his  comprehensive  love.  It  is  a  large  theme,  but  not 
too  large  to  operate  as  a  motive  upon  us.  The  im- 
measurable reach  of  a  motive  is  the  hiding  of  its  power. 
The  mind  of  man  is  itself  expansive,  and  requires  and 
will  have  something  immense  and  infinite  of  truth  or 
error,  either  overpowering  it  for  good  or  overmaster- 
ing it  for  evil.  The  atonement  is  a  great  theme,  but 
not  too  great;  and  for  this  additional  reason, — its 
greatness  lies,  in  part,  in  its  reducing  all  other  doc- 
trines to  a  unity,  its  arranging  them  around  itself  in 
an  order  which  makes  them  all  easily  understood.  We 
know  in  other  things  the  power  of  unity  amid  variety. 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  313 

We  know  how  simple  the  geography  of  a  land  be- 
comes by  remembering  that  its  rivers,  although  me- 
andering in  unnumbered  circuits  around  the  hills  and 
through  the  vales,  yet  pursue  one  main  direction  from 
one  mountain  to  one  sea.  Now  all  the  truths  of  God 
flow  into  the  atonement.  They  are  understood  by 
means  of  it,  because  their  tendencies  are  toward  it ; 
and  it  is  understood  by  means  of  them,  because  it 
receives  and  comprehends  them. 

6  Consider  more  fully  the  first  part  of  this  sen- 
tence ;  all  other  truths  are  understood  by  means  of 
the  atonement.  It  gives  to  them  all  a  unity  by  illus- 
trating them  all.  Other  truths  are  not  so  much  inde- 
pendent themes,  as  they  are  branches  growing  up  or 
side-wise  out  of  this  one  root,  and  they  need  this  single 
theme  in  order  that  their  relations  may  be  rightly 
understood.  What,  for  example,  can  we  know  in  its 
most  important  bearings,  unless  we  know  the  history 
and  office  of  our  Redeemer  ?  Begin  from  what  point 
we  may  to  examine  the  uses  of  things,  we  can  never 
measure  their  full  utility  until  we  view  them  from  the 
cross.  The  trees  bud  and  blossom.  Why  ?  To  bear 
fruit  for  the  sustenance  of  the  human  body.  But  is 
this  an  ultimate  object?  The  nourishment  of  the 
body  favors  the  growth  of  the  mind.  But  is  the  hu- 
man mind  an  end  worthy  of  all  the  contrivances  in 
nature  ?  Does  the  sun,  with  all  its  retinue  of  stars, 
pursue  its  daily  course  with  no  aim  ulterior  to  man's 


314  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

welfare  ?  Do  we  adopt  a  Ptolemaic  theory  in  morals, 
that  man  is  the  centre  of  the  system,  and  other  worlds 
revolve  around  him  ?  All  things  were  made  for  God, 
as  the  Being  in  whom  they  all  terminate.  Do  they 
exist  for  elucidating  his  power  ?  This  is  not  his  chief 
attribute.  His  knowledge  ?  There  is  a  nobler  perfec- 
tion than  omniscience.  His  love  ?  But  there  is  one 
virtue  imbedded  as  a  gem  in  his  love,  and  his  love  is 
but  a  shining  casket  for  this  pearl  of  infinite  price. 
This  pearl  is  grace.  This  is  the  central  ornament  of 
the  character  of  Jehovah.  But  there  is  no  grace  in 
Jehovah  save  as  it  beams  forth  in  Christ;  not  in 
Christ  as  a  mere  Divinity,  nor  in  Christ  as  a  mere 
spotless  humanity,  but  in  the  two  united,  and  in  that 
God-man  crucified.  All  things  were  made  by  him  and 
for  him,  rising  from  the  cross  to  the  throne.  Without 
reference  to  him  in  his  atoning  love,  has  nothing  been 
made  that  was  made  in  this  world.  The  star  in  the 
East  led  wise  men  once  to  the  manger  where  the  Ee- 
deemer  lay  ;  and  all  the  stars  of  heaven  lead  wise  men 
now  to  him  who  has  risen  above  the  stars,  and  whose 
glory  illumines  them  all.  He  is  termed  the  sun  of 
righteousness;  and,  as  the  material  sun  binds  all  the 
planets  around  it  in  an  intelligible  order,  so  does 
Christ  shine  over,  and  under,  and  into,  and  through  all 
other  objects,  attract  them  all  to  himself,  marshal  them 
all  into  one  clear  and  grand  array,  showing  them  all 
to  be  his  works,  all  suggestive  of  our  duty,  our  sin, 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  315 

our  need  of  atonement,  our  dependence  on  the  one 
God,  and  the  one  Mediator  between  God  and  man. 

'The  first  part  of  my  sentence  was,  All  other 
truths  are  understood  by  means  of  the  atonement. 
Consider  next  the  second  part :  The  *  atonement  is 
understood  ~by  means  of  other  truths.  It  crystallizes 
them  around  itself,  and  reduces  them  into  a  system, 
not  only  because  it  explains  them,  but  also  because  it 
makes  them  explain  it.  It  is  not  too  large  a  theme 
for  all  the  sciences  and  the  arts  bring  their  contribu- 
tions to  make  it  orderly  and  plain.  Our  text  is  a  sim- 
ple one,  because  its  words  are  interpreted  by  a  thou- 
sand facts  shining  upon  it,  and  making  themselves  and 
it  luminous  in  their  radiations  around  and  over  it. 
Listen  again  to  its  suggestive  words: 

"  For  'I  determined  not  to  know  any  thing  among 
you  save  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucified." 

'Now,  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  plain  term, 
"  Christ  ?"  It  means  a  "king."  But  how  can  we  ap- 
preciate the  king,  unless  we  learn  the  nature  of  the 
beings  over  whom  he  rules?  He  reigns  over  the 
heavens ;  therefore  we  investigate  the  heavens.  The 
whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory ;  therefore  we  study  the 
earth.  He  is  the  Lord  over  the  angels ;  when  we  re- 
flect on  them,  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  him  in  his  regal 
state.  He  is  the  King  of  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles. 
When  we  meditate  on  men,  we  enjoy  a  glance  at  him 
who  was  born  for  this  end,  that  he  might  have  domin- 

>"" 


316  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

ion  over  our  race.  When  we  contemplate  the  material 
worlds,  all  the  vastness  and  the  grandeur  included  in 
them,  —  the  sphere  of  mind,  all  the  refinement  and 
energy  involved  in  it, — we  are  overpowered  by  the 
reality,  surpassing  fable,  that  he  who  superintends  all 
the  movements  of  matter  and  first  spake  it  into  being, 
and  once  framed,  as  he  now  governs,  the  souls  of  his 
creatures,  —  he  is  the  King  who  atoned  for  us ;  and  the 
more  we  know  of  the  stars  in  their  courses,  and  of  the 
spirit  in  its  mysteries,  so  much  the  deeper  is  our  awe 
in  view  of  the  condescending  pity  which  moved  their 
Creator  to  become  one  with  a  lowly  creature  acquaint- 
ed with  grief  for  you  and  me.  So  much  is  involved  in 
the  word,  "Christ." 

'  But  our  text  speaks  of  Jesus  Christ.  That  word, 
"Jesus!"  What  is  the  meaning  of  it?  It  means  a 
"deliverer,"  and  in  the  view  of  some  interpreters  it 
means  "  God,  the  deliverer."  Deliverer  ?  From  what  ? 
We  do  not  understand  the  power  of  his  great  office, 
unless  we  learn  the  nature  and  the  vileness  of  sin; 
and  we  have  no  conception  how  mean,  how  detestable, 
sin  is,  unless  we  know  the  needlessness  of  it,  the  noble- 
ness of  the  will  which  degrades  itself  into  it,  the  ex- 
cellence of  the  law  which  is  dishonored  by  it.  All  our 
studies,  then,  in  regard  to  the  nature  of  the  will,  the 
unforced  voluntariness  of  depravity,  the  extent  of  it 
through  our  race,  the  depth  of  it,  the  purity  of  the 
commands  aiming  to  prevent  it,  the  attractions  of  vir- 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  317 

tue,  the  strangeness  of  their  not  prevailing  over  the 
temptations  of  vice,  —  they  are  not  mere  metaphysics ; 
— they  are  studies  concerning  the  truth  and  the  grace 
of  Immanuel,  who  is  God  with  us,  and  whose  name  is 
"Deliverer"  because  he  delivers  his  people  from  their 
sins ;  sins  involving  the  power  and  the  penalty  of 
free  wrong  choice ;  a  penalty  including  the  everlasting 
punishment  of  the  soul ;  a  punishment  suggesting  the 
nature  and  the  character  of  the  divine  law,  and  the 
divine  Lawgiver,  in  their  relation  to  the  conscience 
and  all  the  sensibilities  of  the  mind ;  and  that  mind, 
as  undying  as  its  Maker.  All  these  things  are  com- 
prehended in  the  word,  "Jesus." 

'  But  our  text  speaks  of  Jesus  Christ  and  him  cruci- 
fied: and  this  third  term,  "crucified,"  adds  an  emphasis 
to  the  two  preceding  terms,  and  stirs  us  up  to  examine 
our  own  capabilities,  —  to  learn  the  skill  pervading  our 
physical  organism,  so  exquisitely  qualified  for  pain  as 
well  as  pleasure ;  the  wisdom  apparent  in  our  mental 
structure,  so  keenly  sensitive  to  all  that  can  annoy  as 
well  as  gratify;  and  thus  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
truth,  that  he  who  combines  all  of  our  dignity  with 
none  of  our  guilt,  and  with  all  of  the  divine  glory,  and 
who  thus  develops  all  that  is  fit  to  be  explained  in 
man,  and  all  that  can  be  explained  in  God,  —  he  it  is 
who  chose  to  hang  and  linger  with  aching  nerve  and 
bleeding  heart  upon  the  cross  for  you  and  me.  This 
cross  makes  out  an  atonement  of  the  sciences  and  the 


318  The. Gospel  Invitation. 

arts,  and  brings  them  also,  as  well  as  devout  men,  at 
one  with  God ;  all  of  them  tributary  to  the  doctrine 
that  we  are  bought  with  a  price,  —  that  we  are  re- 
deemed, not  with  silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  a  man,  who  was  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh.  —  Too  large  a  theme  is  the  atonement?  But  it 
breaks  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  that  has  kept 
apart  the  different  studies  of  men ;  and  it  brings  them 
together  as  illustrations  of  the  truth,  which  in  their 
light  becomes  as  simple  as  it  is  great. 

'  The  very  objection,  then,  that  the  redemptive  work 
is  too  extensive  for  our  familiar  converse,  has  suggests 
ed  the  second  reason  why  it  should  be  the  main  thing 
for  us  to  think  upon,  and  speak  upon,  and  act  upon : 
It  systematizes  all  other  themes,  and  gains  from  them 
a  unity  which  becomes  the  plainer  because  it  is  set  off 
by  a  luminous  variety ;  and  for  this  cause/  continues 
the  apostle,  '  I  intend  to  know  nothing  with  supreme 
love,  except  this  centralizing  doctrine  which  combines 
all  other  truths  into  a  constellation  of  glories.' 

There  is  still  a  third  inquiry  which  we  might  present 
to  the  author  of  our  text,  could  we  meet  him  in  a  per- 
sonal colloquy : 

"Your  words  all  converge  toward  one  point;  will 
they  not  then  become  monotonous,  and  inapposite  to 
the  varying  wants  of  various,  or  even  the  same  indi- 
viduals ? 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  319 

*  A  monotonous  theme  ! '  — -  this  is  the  reply :  '  What 
can  be  more  diversified  than  the  character  and  work 
of  him  who  is  at  one  time  designated  as  the  omniscient 
God,  and  at  another  time  as  a  mechanic ;  at  one  time 
as  a  judge,  and  at  another  time  as  an  intercessor ;  now  a 
lion,  and  then  a  lamb ;  here  a  vine,  a  tree,  there  a  way, 
a  door ;  again  a  stone,  a  rock,  still  again  a  star,  a  sun ; 
here  without  sin,  and  there  he  was  made  sin  for  us. 

6  Monotonous  is  this  theme  ?  Then  it  is  sadly 
wronged,  and  the  mind  of  man  is  sadly  harmed ;  for 
this  mind  shoots  out  its  tendrils  to  grasp  all  the 
branches  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  the  tree  in  its  healthy 
growth  has  branches  to  which  every  sensibilit}^  of  the 
human  mind  may  cling.  The  judgment  is  addressed 
by  the  atonement,  concerning  the  nature  of  law,  of 
distributive  justice,  the  mode  of  expressing  this  justice 
either  by  punishing  the  guilty  or  by  inflicting  pain  as 
a  substitute  for  punishment,  the  influence  of  this  sub- 
stitution on  the  transgressor,  on  the  surety,  on  the 
created  universe,  on  God  himself.  There  is  more  of 
profound  and  even  abstruse  philosophy  involved  in 
the  specific  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  than  in  any 
other  branch  of  knowledge ;  and  there  has  been  or 
will  be  more  of  discussion  upon  it,  than  upon  all  other 
branches  of  knowledge ;  for  sacred  science  is  the  most 
fruitful  of  all  sciences  in  logical  deduction,  and  this 
specific  part  of  the  science  is  the  richest  of  all  its 
parts. 


320  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

'  Not  only  the  judgment,  but  also  the  imagination  is 
addressed  by  the  atonement ;  as  this  is-  the  comprehen- 
sive event  pointing  to  those  three  several  hours,  the 
like  to  which  have  never  been  heard  of,  no,  nor  ever 
shall  be :  that  first  hour,  the  hour  of  humiliating 
change,  when  the  Son  of  God,  who  had  been  from  the 
beginning  with  God,  gathering  in  the  praises  of  angels 
and  enjoying  the  honors  of  his  universal  reign,  on  a 
sudden  left  the  bosom  of  his  Father,  and  choirs  of 
angels  followed  far  off  from  his  train,  and  heralded  to 
the  shepherds  his  arrival  on  earth ;  —  and  that  second 
hour,  the  hour  of  gloom,  when  the  only-begotten  Son, 
smitten  of  the  Father,  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice  at 
the  heaviness  of  the  blow,  and  the  earth  was  astonished 
more  than  when  the  prophet  asked  of  old :  Was  the 
Lord  displeased  against  the  rivers  ?  Was  thine  anger 
against  the  rivers  ?  Was  thy  wrath  against  the  sea? — 
and  that  third  hour,  the  hour  of  triumph,  when  his 
troops  of  heralds  shouted  at  his  arrival :  Lift  up  your 
heads,  0  ye  gates;  and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlasting 
doors,  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in,  scarred 
in  his  hands  and  feet  and  side,  but  over  all  his  foes 
victorious,  and  marching  from  his  cross  to  his  throne, 
—  and  let  all  the  angels  of  God  now  worship  him ! 
What  was  the  appearance  of  heaven,  how  did  its  hosts 
look  during  that  first  hour,  when  the  very  light  of 
heaven  moved  out  of  its  place,  and  descended  grace- 
fully like  a  star  to  Bethlehem.  And  what  was  the 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  321 

solemnity  in  heaven,  what  was  the  deed  done  there, 
during  that  second  hour,  when  the  first  Person  with- 
drew himself  from  the  second  Person,  and  the  angels 
veiled  their  faces  at  the  unutterable  solitude  of  him 
who  trod  the  wine-press  alone  ?  And  what  was  the 
festival  in  the  realm  of  joy  during  that  third  hour, 
when  its  monarch  came  riding  prosperously  home,  with 
his  sword  upon  his  thigh,  and  all  the  hearts  of  the  re- 
deemed threw  open  their  doors  for  his  glad  entrance  — 
a  conqueror,  and  more  than  conqueror,  welcome,  wel- 
come to  his  everlasting  rest !  At  these  three  scenes, 
in  a  life  all  full  of  transporting  eras,  the  imagination 
falters,  and  lingers  around  them,  and  loses  itself  in  a 
strange  delight;  and  whether  it  be  in  the  body  or  out 
of  the  body,  it  cannot  tell.  And  will  you  say  that 
scenes  like  these  are  monotonous  ? ' 

"  Not  so  for  the  poet  or  the  philosopher,"  we  might 
reply,  "but  are  they  variously  appropriate  for  the 
common  mind  ?  " 

'The  common  mind! '  —  this  is  the  rejoinder.  ' The 
common  mind  is  reached  first  of  all  by  the  Atonement. 
Those  children  who  cried  "hosanna"  in  the  temple 
are  yet  in  our  eye  as  pictures  of  thousands  of  children, 
who  feel  and  love  the  divine  attributes  as  they  are* 
made  plain  and  well-nigh  tangible  in  Jesus.  Simeon 
and  Anna  yet  stand  in  that  same  temple  as  statues 
representing  hundreds  of  aged  saints,  who  love  to  read 
the  history  of  their  Redeemer  when  all  other  letters 


322  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

become  illegible,  and  who  can  hear  his  voice  when  all 
other  voices  become  inaudible,  and  who  grow  young 
again  as  his  fresh  doctrine  rejuvenates  their  heart. 
Zaccheus  climbing  the  sycamore  still  remains  in  our 
vision  as  a  symbol  of  many  a  rich  extortioner,  who 
cannot  rest  until  he  has  entertained  his  Lord,  anjd  con- 
secrated the  half  of  his  goods  to  the  poor,  who  are  to 
be  always  with  him,  reminding  him  of  their  Redeemer. 
That  widow  weeping  as  she  measures  her  slow  steps 
out  of  the  city,  and  smiling  through  her  tears  as  she 
receives  her  son  healthy  from  the  bier  on  which  he 
was  borne  toward  the  needlessly  opened  tomb,  yet 
continues  in  our  view  as  a  representative  of  many  a 
mourner  relieved  by  his  timely  charities.  Those  min- 
strels who  laughed  him  to  scorn  are  images  of  millions 
who  despise  him ;  and  then  he  blesses  them,  and  then 
with  glad  voice  they  spread  the  fame  of  him  round 
about ;  the  fame  of  him  whose  mission  it  is  to  render 
good  for  evil,  a,nd  to  be  the  friend  of  his  foes.  If  I 
desire  to  be  soothed,  I  find  nowhere  such  gentleness  as 
at  his  last  supper.  If  I  aim  to  be  stimulated,  I  find 
nothing  like  his  crown  of  thorns  stirring  me  to  duty. 
If  I  need  to  be  joyous,  whither  shall  I  go  but  to  him, 
all  whose  garments  smell  of  myrrh,  and  aloes,  and 
cassia  out  of  the  ivory  palaces,  whereby  they  have 
made  him  glad  ? 

( The  very  intimation  that  the  Atonement  addresses 
only  one  sensibility,  and  is  appropriate  to  only  one 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  323 

class  of  men,  in  one  mood  of  mind,  has  now  suggested 
the  third  reason  why  this  doctrine  should  be  the  main 
spring  of  our  inward  and  outward  enterprise :  It  is  so 
flexile  and  multiform,  that  it  must  be  apposite  to  every 
man  in  every  change  of  character  or  state ;  and  there- 
fore/ continues  the  apostle,  '  I  desire  to  make  nothing 
prominent  in  my  inward  thought  or  outward  life,  ex- 
cept this  ever-fitting  truth  of  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified ! ' 

Having  now  stated  three  reasons  why  it  is  impor- 
tant to  make  the  redemptive  scheme  our  main  object 
of  interest,  let  us  close  this  discourse  with  three  brief 
inquiries  into  the  method  of  giving  the  desired  promi- 
nence to  this  wonderful  scheme. 

And,  first,  were  we  conversing  face  to  face  with  the 
author  of  our  text,  when  he  had  become  Paul  the  aged 
and  the  counsellor,  we  might  ask  him : 

"  In  what  method  shall  we  resist  our  natural  disin- 
clination to  make  the  grace  of  Christ  so  conspicuous  ? 
Is  there  not  such  a  disinclination?  Will  not  your 
hearers,  will  not  you  yourself,  much  more,  shall  not 
we  who  have  never  been  caught  up  to  the  third 
heaven,  feel  tempted  to  elevate  self  above  the  redemp- 
tive mercy?  " 

'I  fear  it;'  —  this  is  the  reply,  —  <I  fear  it  for  my- 
self. Many  secret  misgivings  have  disturbed  me.  I 


324  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

know  the  need  of  watchfulness.  But  I  have  a  fixed 
resolve.  If  anyonan  be  tempted  to  find  some  less 
humbling  theme,  I  more ;  circumcised  the  eighth 
day,  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
an  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,  as  touching  the  law  a 
Pharisee  (after  the  most  straitest  sect  I  lived  a  Phari- 
see), as  touching  the  righteousness  of  the  law  blame- 
less. Yet  /  am  determined  to  count  all  these  things  as 
loss,  that  I  may  win  Christ. 

'  You  inquire  about  my  hearers.  They  will  prefer 
to  gratify  their  self-esteem,  rather  than  receive  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Jesus.  I  have  tried 
them  again  and  again.  I  knew  the  pride  of  Corinth 
when  I  avowed  to  her  citizens :  I  am  determined  to 
know  nothing  among  you  save  Jesus  Christ,  and  him 
crucified.  I  knew  then  that  Corinth  was  called,  The 
Wealthy.  For  more  than  eighteen  months  I  dwelt 
within  her  proud  walls.  I  met  her  glad  citizens  on 
the  Acrocorinthus,  enjoying  their  magnificent  scenery. 
I  saw  them  going  down  the  marble  steps  of  their  foun- 
tain Peirene,  where  their  famed  Pegasus,  as  they 
believed,  was  caught  by  Bellerophon.  I  visited  their 
Stadium,  and  I  drew  one  of  my  illustrations  from  it. 
I  looked  in  upon  their  Theatre,  and  was  moved  by  it 
to  exclaim :  We  are  become  a  Theatre  to  the  world,  to 
angels,  to  men.  I  beheld  the  gay  throngs  at  the  Co- 
rinthian Amphitheatre,  that  edifice  so  massive  that 
the  remains  of  it,  as  also  of  their  Stadium  and  their 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  325 

Theatre,  are  yet  to  be  seen,  and  long  after  your  dying 
day  will  be  visited  and  admired  by  your  own  country- 
men. It  is  true,  I  did  feel  often  that  those  votaries  of 
pleasure  would  look  upon  my  preaching  of  the  cross 
as  foolishness  in  comparison  with  their  rounds  of  fes- 
tivity. But  none  of  these  things  moved  me.  I  was 
not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  /  had  a  fixed 
plan.  I  wrote  from  Corinth  to  the  very  capital  of  the 
world :  So  much  as  in  me  is,  I  am  ready  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  you  who  are  at  Rome  also.  Wherever  I 
went,  I  knew  that  bonds  and  imprisonment  awaited 
me  for  my  chief  theme  of  discourse,  yet  I  was  deter- 
mined to  confer  not  with  flesh  and  blood ;  for  I  said : 
A  necessity  is  upon  me  ;  yea,  woe  is  me  if  I  preach 
not  the  Gospel  of  Christ  even  in  the  palaces  of  Corinth 
and  of  Rome.  And  if  my  steadfast  resolution  helped 
me  to  resist  my  own  and  my  hearers'  pride  in  the 
brilliant  cities  of  the  East,  then  your  set  resolve  will 
nerve  you  anywhere,  everywhere,  to  the  same  hum- 
bling service. 

'Here,  then,  is  the  first  method  in  which  you  may 
keep  up  the  habit  of  making  Jesus  and  him  crucified, 
the  soul  of  all  your  activity:  Bring  to  your  help  the 
force  of  a  resolute  determination.  There  is  a  tendency 
in  this  resolute  spirit  to  divert  your  thoughts  from 
other  themes,  to  turn  the  current  of  your  sensibilities 
into  the  right  channel,  to  invigorate  your  choice,  to 
exert  a  direct  and  reflex  influence  in  confirming  the 


326  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

whole  soul  in  Jesus.  God  is  in  that  determination. 
He  inspires  it.  He  invigorates  it.  He  works  with  it 
and  by  it.  There  is  a  power  in  it,  but  the  power  is 
not  yours ;  it  is  the  power  of  God.  God  is  in  every 
holy  resolve  of  man/ 

In  our  interview  with  the  apostle  we  should  address 
to  him  a  second  inquiry : 

"  In  what  method  can  we  avoid  both  the  fact  and 
the  appearance  of  being  slavishly  coerced  into  the 
habit  of  conversing  on  Christ  and  on  Christ  alone  ? 
You  speak  of  taking  your  stand,  adhering  to  your  de- 
cision; but  this  dry,  stiff  resolve,  —  comes  any  genial 
spirit  from  it  ?  Will  you  not  be  a  slave  to  your  un- 
swerving purpose  ?  Your  inflexible  rule,  —  will  it  not 
be  a  hard  one,  wearisome  to  yourself,  disagreeable  to 
others?  You  hold  up  a  weighty  theme  by  a  dead 
lift." 

'I  am  determined/ — this  is  the  reply,  —  'and  it  is 
not  only  a  strong,  but  it  is  a  loving  resolve.  For  the 
love  of  Christ  constraineth  me ;  whom  having  not  seen 
in  the  flesh  I  love ;  in  whom,  though  now  I  see  him 
not,  yet  believing,  I  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and 
full  of  glory.  It  is  not  a  business-like  resolution.  It  is 
not  a  diplomatic  purpose.  It  is  not  a  mechanical 
force.  It  is  an  affectionate  decision.  It  is  a  joyous 
rule.  It  is  the  effluence  of  a  supreme  attachment  to 
the  Kedeemer. 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  327 

( And  this  is  the  second  method  in  which  you  may 
retain  Jesus  Christ  as  the  jewel  of  your  speech  and 
life :  Cherish  a  loving  purpose  to  do  so.  A  man  has 
strength  to  accomplish  what  with  a  full  soul  he  longs 
to  accomplish.  Your  Christian  toil  will  be  irksome  to 
you,  if  it  be  not  your  cordial  preference ;  but  if  your 
undeviating  resolve  spring  out  of  a  hearty  choice  of 
your  Saviour,  then  will  it  be  ever  refreshed  and  en- 
livened by  your  outflowing,  genial  preference ;  then 
will  your  pious  work  be  the  repose  of  your  soul. 
There  is  a  power  in  your  love  to  your  work.  It  is  a 
power  to  make  your  labor  easy  for  yourself  and  attrac- 
tive to  others.  This  is  not  your  power;  it  is  the 
power  of  God.  He  enkindles  the  love  within  you.  He 
enlivens  it.  He  gives  it  warmth.  He  makes  it  instinct 
with  energy.  God  is  in  all  the  holy  joy  of  man. 

In  our  conference  with  the  author  of  our  text  we 
might  suggest  to  him  our  third  and  last  inquiry : 

"In  what  method  can  we  feel  sure  of  persevering 
in  this  habitual  exaltation  of  Christ?  You  speak  of 
your  stern  purpose,  but  can  you  depend  upon  the  con- 
tinuance of  it  ?  You  speak  of  your  cordial  as  well  as 
set  resolve.  But  who  are  you  ?  (forgive  our  pertina- 
cious query.)  Jesus  we  know.  But  his  disciples,  his 
chief  apostles — -is  not  every  one  of  them  a  reed 
shaken  with  the  wind,  tossed  hither  and  thither,  un- 
stable as  a  wave  upon  the  sea  ?  " 


328  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

'I  know  it  is  so,' — this  is  the  reply.  '  Of  ten  am  I 
afraid  lest,  having  preached  the  Gospel  to  others,  I 
should  be  a  castaway.  And  after  all  I  am  persuaded 
that  nothing,  —  height,  depth,  life,  death,  nothing  shall 
be  able  to  separate  me  from  the  love  of  Christ ;  for  I 
put  my  confidence  in  him,  and  while  my  purpose  is 
inflexible  and  affectionate,  it  is  also  inwrought  with 
trust  in  the  atonement  and  the  intercession.  I  do  pur- 
sue my  Christian  life  in  weakness  and  in  fear  and  in 
much  trembling.  For  all  the  piety  of  the  best  of  men 
is  in  itself  as  grass,  and  the  goodliness  thereof  as  the 
flower  of  the  field.  Therefore  serve  I  the  Lord  with 
all  humility  of  mind  and  with  many  tears  and  tempta- 
tions. Yet  I  am  determined  with  a  confiding  love.  I 
am  troubled  on  every  side ;  my  flesh  has  no  rest ;  with- 
out are  fightings,  within  are  fears;  in  presence  I  am 
base  among  you,  my  bodily  presence  is  weak  and  my 
speech  contemptible ;  and  if  I  must  needs  glory,  I  will 
glory  in  the  things  which  concern  my  infirmities. 
Still,  after  all,  /  am  determined,  my  right  hand  being 
enfolded  in  the  hand  of  my  Redeemer.  I  know  whom 
I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against 
that  day.  For  my  conversation  is  in  heaven,  from 
whence  I  am  to  look  for  the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  shall  change  our  vile  body  that  it  may  be 
fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  body,  according  to  the 
mighty  working  whereby  he  is  able  to  subdue  all 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  329 

things  unto  himself.  I  say  the  truth  in  Christ ;  I  lie 
not ;  I  am  the  least  of  the  apostles,  that  am  not  meet 
to  be  called  an  apostle,  because  I  injured  the  church  of 
God ;  I  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints.  Still  I  am 
determined ;  for  by  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am ; 
and  this  grace  which  was  bestowed  upon  me  was  not 
in  vain,  but  I  labored  more  abundantly  than  they  all ; 
yet  not  I  but  the  grace  of  God  which  was  with  me ; 
for  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  which  strength- 
eneth  me,  and  therefore  I  am  determined. 

'  Borne  onward,  therefore,  by  your  fixed  plan,  and 
no  one  can  succeed  in  anything  without  a  plan,  yet 
you  must  never  rely  ultimately  upon  your  determined 
spirit.  Allured  further  and  further  onward  by  your 
delight  in  your  plan,  and  no  one  can  work  as  a  master 
in  anything  without  enthusiasm  in  his  prescribed 
course,  still  you  must  not  place  your  final  dependence 
upon  your  affectionate  spirit;  for  if  you  take,  for  your 
last  prop,  either  the  sternness  or  the  cheerfulness  of 
your  own  determination,  then  you  will  know  your  de- 
termination, and  you  are  not  to  know  anything  save 
Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified.  Here,  then,  is  the 
third  method  in  which  you  may  give  the  fitting  promi- 
nence to  the  best  of  themes  :  You  must  rest  for  your 
chief  and  final  support  on  him  and  only  on  him,  from 
whom  all  wise  plans  start,  by  whom  they  all  hold  out, 
to  whom  they  all  tend,  who  is  all  and  in  all,  Jesus 

Christ  and  him  crucified.' 

u* 


330  The  Gospel  Invitation. 

My  Christian  brethren,  you  are  all  apostles.  Every 
man,  every  woman,  every  child,  the  richest  and  the 
poorest,  the  most  learned  and  the  most  ignorant  of 
you — who  have  come  up  hither  to  dedicate  yourselves 
and  this  sanctuary*  to  your  Lord,  all  being  sent  of  him 
to  serve  him,  have  in  fact  and  in  essence  the  same 
responsibility  resting  on  you  as  weighed  on  the  author 
of  our  text.  And  he  was  burdened  by  the  same  kind 
of  temptations  and  fears  which  oppress  your  spirit. 
But  he  was  held  up  from  failing  in  his  work  by  a 
three-fold  cord ;  and  that  was  his  resolute  determina- 
tion, as  loving  as  it  was  resolute,  and  as  trustful  as  it 
was  loving,  to  know  nothing  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified.  The  last  that  you  hear  of  him  as  an  impeni- 
tent man  is  in  the  words :  "  And  Saul,  yet  breathing 
out  threatening  and  slaughter  against  the  disciples  of 
the  Lord."  It  was  Christ  whom  the  proud  Jew  last 
opposed.  The  first  that  you  hear  of  him  as  a  convicted 
man  is  in  the  words  :  "Who  art  thou,  Lord?"  It  was 
Christ  whom  the  inquiring  Jew  first  studied.  And  the 
first  that  you  hear  of  him  as  a  penitent  man  is :  "  Lord, 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? "  It  was  Christ  to 
whom  the  humble  disciple  first  surrendered  his  will. 
And  the  first  that  you  hear  of  him  as  a  Christian  min- 
ister is :  "  And  straightway  he  preached  Christ  in  the 
synagogues  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God."  And  the  last 

*  This  sermon  was  preached  at  the  dedication  of  the  Broadway  Taber- 
nacle, "New  York,  April  24,  1859. 


The  Prominence  of  the  Atonement.  331 

that  you  hear  of  him  as  a  Christian  hero  is  :  "I  have 
fought  the  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course.  I 
have  kept  the  faith  ;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for 
me  a  crown  of  righteousness."  And  the  secret  of  this 
victorious  career  is  in  words  like  those  of  our  text  :  '  I 
adhered  to  my  plan  (when  among  the  fickle  Corin- 
thians), I  was  decided  (when  among  the  vacillating 
Galatians),  to  know  nothing  (when  among  the  learned 
at  Athens  and  them  of  Csesar's  household  at  Home)  ; 
save  Jesus  Christ  (when  I  was  among  my  own  kins- 
men, who  scorned  him),  and  him  crucified  (when  I  was 
among  the  pupils  of  Gamaliel,  all  of  whom  despised 
my  chosen  theme)  ;  still  I  was  determined  to  cling  to 
that  theme  among  the  Greeks  and  the  barbarians,  be- 
fore Onesimus  the  slave  and  Philemon  the  proud  mas- 
ter ;  for  I  loved  my  theme,  and,  suffering  according  to 
the  will  of  God,  I  committed  the  keeping  of  my  soul 
to  him  in  well-doing  as  unto  a  faithful  Creator.' 

And  herein  is  it  to  be  your  plan,  my  brethren,  and 
your  joy,  not  to  make  this  sanctuary  the  resort  of 
wealth  and  of  fashion,  but  rather  of  humble  suppliants, 
who  by  their  prayers  may  divert  all  the  wealth  and 
fashion  of  the  world  into  the  service  of  your  Lord; 
not  to  make  this  temple  the  resting-place  of  hearers 
who  shall  idly  listen  to  the  words  of  an  orator,  but  a 
temple  of  earnest  co-workers  with  Christ,  —  thinking  of 
him,  speaking  of  him,  loving  him  first,  and  last,  and 
midst,  and  without  end.  As  you  come  to  this  house  of 


»  * 


332  The    Gospel  Invitation. 

God  on  the  Sabbath,  as  you  go  from  it,  as  your  week- 
day recollections  gather  around  it,  may  you  renew 
and  confirm  your  plan  to  know  your  Redeemer,  and 
not  only  to  know  him,  but — who  is  sufficient  for 
these  things  ? — not  to  know  any  thing  save  your  Re- 
deemer; and  not  only  to  shut  yourselves  up  to  the 
supreme  love  of  nothing  except  Christ,  but  also, — 
his  grace  will  be  sufficient  for  you,  —  to  worship  and 
serve  Christ  in  the  central  relation  of  him  crucified. 
Knowing  him  alone,  he  will  sustain  you  as  fully  as  if 
he  knew  you  alone.  He  will  come  to  you  in  this  tem- 
ple as  frequently  as  if  he  had  no  other  servants  to 
befriend.  He  will  listen  to  your  prayers  as  intently 
as  if  no  supplications  came  up  to  him  from  other 
altars,  and  he  will  intercede  for  you  as  entirely  as  if 
he  interceded  in  behalf  of  no  one  else ;  for  remember, 
that  when  he  hung  upon  the  cross,  he  thought  of  you, 
and  died  for  you,  just  as  fully  as  if  he  had  been  de- 
termined to  think  of  no  one,  and  to  die  for  no  one, 
save  you,  whom  he  now  calls  to  the  solemn  service 
of  consecrating  your  own  souls,  and  your  "  holy  and 
beautiful  house"  to  the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


LD  2lA-60m-3,'65 
(F2336slO)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


